I have a client who is making wine, but still no label, so as of yet, not on the market - SHAME ON HIM!!! He gave me two bottles of Chardonnay, one an 08 and the other an 09. He asked me to do a blind tasting and give him my feedback...
Hmmm, is this one better, or was it the other one?
So this last Sunday I put some friends to work...
Ok, boys, time to taste, NO PEEKING!
We each tasted a glass of both vintages... NO SPITTING ALLOWED...
Hmmm, it's like the essence of melon wrapped in prosciutto right???
Of course we had to have some nourishment with all our hard work.
Organic Fresh Cheddar and The Tale of Two Wines
End result... three out of four preferred the 08. Here's why:
And the winner is... at least for the next year!
The 08 had a more balanced nose of fruit with a soft toasty backbone. The palate was more tropical, with pineapple, but also offered up some nice spicy pears and that toasty backbone presented itself in the form of Cheerios - I know, I know, but seriously Cheerios are a good thing! The finish was soft, with at touch of caramel, and lingered nicely with a smooth mouth-feel hanging to the very end. This wine has enough oak to give it staying power for its age, and yet retains very appealing fruit characteristics.
The 09 (or was it a 2010?) was a tad more aggressive with some wet straw (Burgundian qualities) on the nose along with lemon and green apples. The palate started out with bright fresh fruit confirming the citrus driven components. This was followed by soft spice balanced with the acid, but the finish took an edgy turn with some bitter tannis and more malic rather than malo acids - if you're curious about Malo-Lactic acids, watch the SUPER SHORT videocast at the end if this post. As a professional who's tasted many younger oaked Chardonnays, I suspect this edginess will vanish with another year in bottle, and it will round out nicely, and now for that videocast...
I'll keep you posted as this wine becomes available on the market, they are both great Chardonnays!
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