Cheverny Le Petit Chambord Domaine Francois Cazin 2007

I was very excited to see this wine on the shelf and I showed great restraint by only taking a single bottle home with me. The restraint was short lived as this was opened within 24 hours of being brought into its new home. Perhaps not quite as good as the Le Petit Chambord 2006. If memory serves me (and please understand that is a big if), the 2006 had more zing and fruit….but we are talking pretty subtle nuances and the 2007 is a really lovely bottle of wine. Great aromatics, very good acidity with pronounced citrus and mineral components. A great food wine — and especially well paired with seafood given the citrus and acidity — and  a good value at $15-$17 a bottle.

This wine is made by Francois Cazin. It is from the appellation of Cheverny, one of the most recent new appellations in the Loire Valley (1991). By legislation, a Cheverny wine has to be a blend of varietals, and François Cazin’s white is 70% Sauvignon Blanc and 30% Chardonnay.

Another gem in the tried and true portfolio of Louis/Dressner. Recommended — and buy more than just one bottle.

Read Full Post »

Cheverny Le Petit Chambord Domaine Francois Cazin 2006

This wine is made by Francois Cazin. It is from the appellation of Cheverny, one of the most recent new appellations in the Loire Valley (1991). By legislation, a Cheverny wine has to be a blend of varietals, and François Cazin’s white is 70% Sauvignon Blanc and 30% Chardonnay.

I like the fruit and acidity of the Sauvignon Blanc combined with the minerality and body of the Chardonnay.

Light golden straw in color. Notes of pear, mineral, citrus and a hint of wet grass on the nose. On the palate, lemon with pear, apple and wet stone. A bit of sweetness, almost like you might expect from a Chenin Blanc. Outstanding minerality components with bright, crisp, mouth tingling acidity.

At about $15 a bottle, this one of the best white QPR (quality – price – ratio) plays of the year so far — really a tremendous value and a great wine. Strongly Recommended.

Cazin also makes a cuvée of Cour-Cheverny made from Romorantin. Chenin Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc are the primary white varietals of the Loire Valley, but Romorantin has been grown in the Loire Valley since the reign of King Francis I in the sixteenth century.

Another outstanding selection from Louis/Dressner.

Read Full Post »

Domaine de Tariquet Chenin Chardonnay, 2006

Since 1912 Château du Tariquet has been home to the Grassa family. They first gained notoriety for Hélène and Pierre Grassa’s Armagnac.

They began producing white wine in 1982. Yves Grassa broke into winemaking by breaking the rules. He was the first in the region to plant chardonnay, sauvignon or chenin grapes, which were far from popular in those days. Furthermore, he produced blends of sworn enemies such as chardonnay with sauvignon, or chenin with chardonnay. Today, their portfolio includes 9 white wines and a rosé.

I was intrigued by the Chenin/Chardonnay blend — and was pretty impressed with the results.

Light golden straw in color. Floral and exotic fruit aromatics. On the palate, there are some contrasts and complexities with the Chenin Blanc/Chardonnay blend. From the Chenin (75%), crisp notes of apple and minerality with a hint of saltiness. The Chardonnay (25%) seems to add richness, body, structure and creaminess. There is also an underlying sweet and sour component (which I think really makes it a interesting pairing for Indian and Asian cuisines, as they often have a sweet and sour as well).

Drinkable and food friendly at 12% alcohol. Serve as an apertif, with seafood, or as stated with Asian or Indian dishes. A very good value at about $8-11 a bottle. Imported by Robert Kacher.

Tariquet uses organic fertilizer and the use of sulphites has been reduced to a minimum. The estate also features a water treatment facility and they recycle and reuse all materials.

Read Full Post »

2005 Newton Unfiltered Chardonnay

This would certainly make almost anyone’s top 10 list of top California Chardonnay. Newton’s Chardonnay is unfiltered and fermented with wild yeast, native to Newton’s Carneros vineyards — still fairly small production and really a well made wine — I think the last 3 vintages have all been rated 95 or above by Parker. Parker calls it on of the best and longest-lived California Chardonnays.

Beautiful golden straw in color. More impressive (and complex) in the mouth than on the nose, soft citrus with some green apple, pear and a hint of jicama and almond, notes of mineral and wet stone — some exotic fruit, well balanced, nice acidity with a pure and long finish.

A great food wine for anything seafood or white meat — this would certainly enhance any meal — or be totally memorable on its own merits.

While I am not a fan of the Bush Administration. I would give them their props for 2 things — one of them is serving this wine at numerous official dinners. Recommended.

BottleBuys.com is selling this wine for $36.50 — (see product page on bottlebuys.com) — Wine Exchange had it for $42.99 — so you know under $40 is a great price. Certainly not an inexpensive wine, but availability is limited and demand is only going to increase. 20/20 Wines is selling it for $64.99 — so you really should take the opportunity to order from BottleBuys as the wine is somewhat limited and in high demand.

I expect this wine will be one of the top 10 white releases for the year and will be on auction sites at $60-$80 a bottle or more the end of the year.

Read Full Post »

Chardonnay Santa Cruz Mountains Santa Cruz Mountain Estate 2005

We had a bottle of the 2005 Ridge Santa Cruz Mountains Chardonnay on Christmas — it was probably the best bottle of white wine that I had this year — and at $35 a bottle it was a great value as well.

Crisp with great acidity, minerality with a very round, full mouthfeel, outstanding balance and depth. Oak, wet stone, butter, pear and citrus. 14.6% alcohol by volume, but you would never guess the alcohol was that high. In my opinion, this is also a great marriage of old world and new world styles…..

If you can find this wine, I would recommend (without hesitation) that you should but it — it is showing very well right now and will continue to evolve for the next 3-5 years.

The vineyard is sold out of the wine — it had been offering a single bottle limit. You can find it on Wine Commune for about 80 bucks a bottle.

Wine Spectator notes

Top 100 Wines of the Year
#2

Ridge
Chardonnay Santa Cruz Mountains Santa Cruz Mountain Estate 2005
95 points / $35
2,000 cases made
California
The Chardonnay in the Ridge lineup might be overshadowed by the label’s famous Cabernet-based Monte Bello, but Ridge has been making Chardonnay since 1962. The Santa Cruz bottling comes from 12 lots of vines planted on the Monte Bello estate vineyard in the 1980s, with elevation ranging from 1,400 to 1,900 feet. The cool, mountain climate keeps the acidity lively and the flavors fresh and 2005 Chardonnay, bottled January 2007.

Vineyard Notes

Inclement weather battered our mountain vineyard this year, and delayed the arrival of spring. Not until early June did the growing season really get underway. Fortunately, five weeks of unusually warm weather caused an inversion layer, increasing both nighttime and daytime temperatures. The vines caught up sufficiently for the grapes to attain full flavor, albeit with very firm acidity. We harvested in early October, pressed the fruit as whole clusters, and racked to air-dried american oak barrels for a natural-yeast fermentation. During an extended in-barrel malolactic, the lees were stirred once a week. In a series of blind tastings, we selected eight beautifully-integrated lots showing defined, yet sensuous fruit. This excellent Santa Cruz Mountains Chardonnay is enjoyable now, and will develop fully over the next four to five years.

Read Full Post »