- Basic info: Olema, Chardonnay from Sonoma County, California, 2014.
- Type: White wine
- Price estimate: $14 (at Total Wine)
- Look: Pale yellow. Very few legs, probably low alcohol wine.
- Smell: Wine. Maybe a tiny bit of grapefruit. Bob got hints of vanilla.
- Taste: Light mouthfeel. Bright. Good acid. Finish isn’t long and it is not a fruity wine. Has a touch of green apple in the taste and a fresh, clean, crisp taste.
- Conclusions: It’s a decent wine and good for a summer day. For a Chardonnay, it is really good without the the heavy taste and feel. Would drink again.
- Other notes: Bob tried this wine when we went to the Wine Walk in March. We generally tried different wines at each station, then tasted each other’s wine, so we got a good mix. I liked this one at the Wine Walk and was really surprised that is was a Chardonnay. I have a general dislike of the heavy, oily, thick, oaky Chardonnays that dominate most wine lists, so I reflexively stay away from them. This one doesn’t have the heavy oil mouth feel. (As as aside, it is the same reason I just can’t eat foie gras, in addition to my general philosophical opposition to it.)
- When Bob and I tasted this, we did so sitting on the back porch. He had his chartreuse mixed drink and I had a glass of wine. At one point while we were sitting there talking, I took a sip, a tiny sip, of his drink since he bragged how good it was. When I went back to the wine, it lost the bright acidity and became much more rounded. It was still light, but I got the hint of vanilla and a much smoother wine. For the rest of my glass, I had the rounder, softer wine to drink. It was a little weird to note such a different after one sip from his drink.
- From the bottle: “Flavors of apple, citrus and a hint of toasty oak lead to a long, rich finish.” 14.2% alcohol by volume.
Sixteen Paws 