Saturday, November 10, 2007

Sonoma-Cutrer Sonoma Coast Chardonnay 2005 Wine Review (NW)

Tasting notes:

Fruity nose of lemon, melon, and pear

Good core of acidity on the palate

Refined finish with tropical fruit followed by subtle hints of spice and nuts

While vacationing in Florida, we enjoyed a lot of nice meals and good bottles of wine. One good memory was a lunch at the beach house with good friends, some seafood appetizers, and this wine. The bottle went dry very quickly as all the kids were napping and the adults actually got to enjoy a mid-day conversation.

One of the discussion topics was, of course, wine. If the California Chardonnay producers are polarizing into two distinct camps, we agreed that this wine still resides right in the middle. One camp applies generous oak aging and the other camp has completely eliminated oak. Looking toward the middle ground, I'm always impressed by the producers that use oak judiciously to enhance the varietal characteristics. This wine has that nice balance.

I paid $20 for the bottle, marked down from $25. In my experience, it's consistently well made and the 2005 is no different. This is a good, middle-of-the-road style at a fair price. Raise a glass!

1 comment:

  1. Anonymous11:26 PM

    This is a pleasant bottle that pairs excellently with well prepared seafood. I am certain you won't want to leave this bottle half-full. If you can find it at $25 or less it is well worth the price.

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