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Chardonnay Review: Franciscan Oakville

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Franciscan Oakville Chardonnay Cuvee Sauvage 2005

Franciscan Oakville Chardonnay Cuvee Sauvage wine bottleGenerally speaking, I’m against the majority of California Chardonnay on the market — but not against ALL California Chards.

What bugs me is the proliferation of formulaic, oak-driven “soda-pop” Chards that taste more like Sugar Smacks than fermented grapes. The bulk of these disasters in a bottle are in the under $20 segment, but there are also a number of higher-priced Chardonnays that are flawed by too much wood.

The problems of over-oaked are 1. the wood overpowers the fruit, so you don’t taste the Chardonnay; and 2. oak doesn’t match very well with most foods. However, that doesn’t mean oak is always bad — it merely needs to be used judiciously. The key is the fruit; if the grapes produce a very rich, ripe flavor, then it can stand up to a good dose of oak and create a harmonious, delicious sipper.

One such example of a California Chardonnay with a wonderful balance of fruit and oak is Franciscan Oakville Chardonnay Cuvee Sauvage.

Tasting Notes: Cuvee Sauvage

Wide open, delicious smelling aroma of ripe pear, peach, banana, spicy oak, vanilla, and a hint of warm apple pie. In the mouth it has a silky, creamy, buttery texture, carrying lots of succulent ripe pear, baked apple, vanilla, honey, and oak. The oak actually runs a touch bitter, giving off some tannins, in the finish. Acidity is mild to nearly medium. On the fat and oaky side, but surprisingly not overwhelming and also not too hot in the finish. It’s almost on the sweet side, making it more of a fireplace wine than something you’d match successfully with a bevy of foods. However, it will match adequately with roasted rosemary chicken, dishes drenched with garlic, and maybe hot and spicy cuisine, where the sweetness acts as a foil against the heat. Long, elegant finish. A rich, delicious, and succulent wine to enjoy by the fire.

a-10 t-10 b-7 fc-7 v-7 ~ 91 Points

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Thanksgiving Wine: Bastide Roussanne

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Domaine de La Bastide Roussanne 2006


Importer: Weygandt-Metzler

OK, this is from France, so it doesn’t fit the American themed Thansgiving. But it’s a great wine for matching with everything on the table, and it’s different!

Tasting Notes

Nose is clean, pure ripe peach and some pear, with a spicy vanilla element. On the palate it is silky smooth, almost honeylike, with flavors of pear, peach, citrus, a bit of vanilla spice and a slight hint of mineral. Acidity is low. Citrus becomes more apparent in the finish, which is easygoing. This is a nice wine as an aperitif, and a good match for lean meats, veggies, and possibly as a counter to hot and spicy dishes. The low acidity won’t get in the way of lean turkey, and it will mesh well with most of the assorted dishes you might find on the Thanksgiving table.

a-8 t-8 b-8 fc-9 v-8 ~ 91 Points

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Wine for Thanksgiving: Vinum Chenin Blanc

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Vinum Cellars Clarksburg Chenin Blanc CNW 2005

The “CNW” on the label stands for “Chard No Way” … hmm, what’s the winery trying to tell us?

Here is an ideal “out of the box” idea for the Thanksgiving table — a Chenin Blanc! And Vinum is winery in Clarksburg, California, so it fits in with the American theme of the holiday.

Tasting Notes

Bright, open nose of fresh ripe white peach, pear, melon. Deliciously bright fruit on the palate as well, dominated by apple, pear, peach, and honeydew melon. A touch of stony mineral adds a nice complexity. Very clean. Texture is smooth. Acidity is low. This is a fine sipper on its own, and a fantastic match for the Thanksgiving meal. Its bright flavors and low acidity match well with just about everything on the table – the lean turkey, stuffing, pearl onions, and veggies. Guess what? This wine also pairs nicely with asparagus – how about that? Also good as an aperitif, or match it with similarly lean dishes, or spicy foods (Asian and Indian, for example).

a-8 t-8 b-8 fc-8 v-8 ~ 90 Points

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White Wine Review: Simi Chardonnay

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Simi Sonoma County Chardonnay 2005

Simi Sonoma County Chardonnay wine bottleSimi is a California winery founded over 125 years ago by two brothers named Giuseppe and Pietro Simi, from Tuscany, Italy. The Simi brothers built a successful business before both died just after the turn of the 20th century, leaving the estate to Giuseppe’s daughter Isabelle, who continued the business with help from her husband Fred Haight. The business continued to flourish until Prohibition (1920), and picked up right where it left off when Prohibition was repealed in 1933.

It’s an interesting story, told in more detail at the Simi website. What you need to know is that Simi remains an historic estate — by most accounts the longest continually operating winery in California (they made “sacramental” wines during Prohibition) and has gained significant respect and popularity over the last 30 years, thanks to high quality bottlings. Current winemaker Steve Reeder is a star in the industry, with a resume that includes stints at Kendall-Jackson and Chateau St. Jean — where he made some highly acclaimed wines. Simi has been and remains a producer of consistent, high quality wines — you will get what you pay for when their label is on the bottle.

Simi Chardonnay Tasting Notes

The grapes for this wine come from Sonoma County (duh) — specifically, from Alexander Valley, Russian River, and Carneros. The wine was aged in oak barrels for six months prior to bottling.

Lots of bright, ripe, spiced pear on the nose and the palate. Nose also has some honeysuckle and vanilla. Texture is creamy smooth and rich, an ideal vessel for the creamy vanilla, maple, and spice flavors. Though it is obviously oaked and has an almost maple syrup quality, it is not cloying. A decent amount of acidity tries to stand up to the fruit, but needs help from a fair dose of alcohol to provide structure. A thick, rich, full-bodied, full-flavored wine that may be best drunk alone, but also has enough acidity to match successfully with equally rich dishes. Go with bolder pork and poultry dishes, gamey fish (salmon), flavorfully prepared scallops or sea bass, corn chowder, and other dishes that you might consider matching with Pinot Noir or Beaujolais. Tasty and succulent. At somewhere between $15 to $18, appropriately priced.

a-8 t-9 b-7 fc-7 v-7 ~ 88 Points

Website: Simi Winery

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White Wine Review: White Truck

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White Truck California White Wine 2005

White Truck white wine bottleAs promised in the White Truck winery profile article of a few days ago, a review of White Truck White Wine.

Nose is bright and forward, exuding floral, honeysuckle, ripe pear, apple, banana, and a hint of an unusual spice – maybe ginger? Very smooth texture, fat and creamy with ripe pear, apricot, honey and vanilla spice flavors. Somewhat sweet smelling and perceptively sweet flavor, though it finishes dry and in good balance. An intriguing, unusual wine that might be considered tropical or exotic. Acidity is mild, but there is enough to match this with lean poultry and gamey fish – perhaps best with spicier dishes such as Cajun / creole / blackened and Asian cuisine.

I like this as an aperitif or cocktail wine, but it also has the versatility to enjoy with lean and/or spicy dishes as suggested. You might call it the poor man’s Conundrum, with its fruit salad -like character. For the same reason, I also like it as a “bridge” wine for White Zinners and those looking to graduate from junior high wines such as Yellowtail.

a-8 t-8 b-7 fc-7 v-7 ~ 87 Points

Red Truck Wines website

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