Chardonnay flight of three (wine review by (PB)

#1 Stonehedge Chardonnay 2003
This California Chard was a very light straw with a tinge of golden on the pour. The bouquet had some nice fruit yet with a smokey backbone of bacon and light butter notes. In the mouth it had a slightly buttery texture, the smoke carried through to the palate but could have used a bit more acid. The finish lingers pretty nicely and this wine paired quite well with our appetizer of homemade seafood ravioli with a cream, seafood/Parmesan sauce.

#2 Wishing Tree Chardonnay 2005 (Unoaked)
This was the lightest of the three wines in the flight as far as color. It was nearly clear. The bouquet was unmistakably hugely pears with an almost nutty taste.

The pears carry through to the palate, has good acid and finishes with pears and quince–or citrus if you prefer. This also paired well with our seafood ravioli.

#3 Mandrarossa Chardonnay 2003
This Chard hails from the island of Sicily which is why I picked it up. I had never had a Sicilian Chardonnay.
On the pour this wine was the most fascinating in color with a rich and deep golden hue like a nice Sauternes. It’s bouquet was also rich and sweet, almost candied with buttery notes and an overwhelming scent of ripe fruit which I couldn’t quite pin down. I called it ripe figs or ripe guava or a cross between the two, which I guess would be a “guig” or perhaps a “fava”but then I’m just getting silly.

In the mouth it tasted like it smelled; sweet and fruity but really lacked the acid to carry it all off. This was unfortunate as it had so many good qualities but was flabby. Finished with a nice after taste that was steady.

All these wine were under $10. I believe we liked the Wishing Tree for its solid acid foundation which made it the best food wine. I loved everything about the Sicilian Chard except its flavor in the mouth...It was a beautiful wine, it had a great nose and some nice flavors but the lack of acid killed this wine. Still, I would recommend any of them for the experience of unique wines of the same grape. Raise a glass in celebration of NW’s B-day!