Tasting notes:Big tropical fruit nose
Acidic but smooth core
Lychee and lemon finish, with other tropical fruit layers tapering nicely
Let me start by saying that I'm not a fan of unoaked chardonnay. I know this runs counter to the movement of "re-discovering" Chardonnay without barrel fermentation, but I don't have a place for it in my cellar. The reason for this is twofold. First, Chardonnay interacts so well with oak that it's silly not to finish it in this way. Second, if I want a crisp, clean, unoaoked white wine I'll simply reach for a different varietal. There are plenty of white varietals that taste great after steel tank fermentation, such as Sauvignon Blanc.
With that said, this wine is decent and shows nice varietal characteristics for $11 or so. I just won't typically be buying unoaked Chardonnay (in this case "naked"). Of course, we're all entitled to our opinion- so raise a glass to that!
I had a glass of "Naked" this afternoon with a Thai lunch in San Francisco. It was a perfect pair.
ReplyDeleteThe way to go Four Vines of Santa Barbara - I'm from Healdsburg in Sonoma County. Keep it coming. Your doing great.
I hated the first vintage of Naked, but after that, Four Vines got it right. With that being said, I agree with you 100%. It's not like there're not enough white varietals out there. I prefer my Chardonnary rich and oaked.
ReplyDeleteOne more note about Four Vines - although the Chardonnay is sourced from Santa Barbara, the winery itself is a Paso Robles entity.