Chardonnay with a Cool Label

Found this label on www.internetwines.com.  I just wanted to show you that it is, in fact, a very cool label.  The wine itself was not as fabulous as its label, but, if your sole purpose is to have a couple glasses and "relax," this wine (which I bought for $7.99 at Albertson's) will most certainly meet your needs.

Bohemian Highway's 2008 Chardonnay has a sharp, citrus smell.  The crisp, tart flavor is not a surprise.  This wine is very acidic.  It is, however, very light.  Though lacking in depth, the flavor is nice.  It has a bit of a bite, with a lemon start that becomes a bit sweeter through the finish.  Like I said, it's not fantastic but its most certainly enjoyable!  And since it is still hot (and unusually humid) here in West Central Texas, it certainly hit the spot!

Some Wine, Cupcake?

Today's subject? Cupcake Vineyards 2009 Chardonnay.  I was very excited to try this label because, well, simply because it says cupcake.  No, I didn't imagine a cupcake-tasting wine.  But I did receive a delightful surprise with this $11 white.  Light citrus on the nose with a lovely pale yellow color.  This wine is not too dry, nor too sweet.  At first I noticed the taste of citrus with a touch of spice, which quickly mellowed to a creamy vanilla and butter flavor.  After swallowing give yourself a minute to enjoy the finish.  The flavors linger for quite a while.

My biggest warning is to be sure to drink it at the right temperature.  If it's too cold you won't be able to recognize all the amazing flavors in the wine (so let it sit out a bit longer).  If it's too warm the result is not dissimilar to leaving beer out for too long.  I enjoyed this wine with sautéed Basa fillets and a garden salad.  Not bad at all!  And at that price, who can go wrong?

Hot Weather = Chilled White Wine Time

I must say that, in general, I used to prefer red wines to whites.  However, seeing as it has been in the high 90's - low 100's here, I have gravitated towards the cool, refreshing, white wines.  And I've liked it.

Beaulieu Vineyard's Coastal Estates 2007 Chardonnay was not bad.  On the nose you could notice citrus scents that fell to pineapple and sour green apples.  It has a bit of a bite at first sip.  This lessens as the wine warms in your mouth.  Green apple flavors give way to lemon and limes, with a hint of vanilla on the finish.  Don't take your next sip immediately but note what the flavors do.  They linger and mingle like a Christian congregation after church or as family does when we attempting to say goodbye.

For $9 a bottle, I'd say it's worth it!  It will especially go well with Chicken Francese or with swiss cheese.

Menage a Trois...Oh la la

So, thanks to this weekend's lesson, I remembered to look up the wine's tasting facts before drinking today.  Tonight is white's debut on Adventures.  We will be drinking Folie A Deux's 2008 Menage a Trois White.  It is a combination of Chardonnay, Muscat, and Chenin Blanc.  The bottles tells me to look (smell) for "soft floral aromas" and "caressing fruit flavors."  The fact sheet tells me that "The Chardonnay is rich and firm.  the Muscat is wild and exotic.  The Chenin is soft and supportive."   It also mentions juicy fruit aromas.  Let's see what we can find tonight...

I've kept the wine in the fridge, but I let it sit until it warmed to about 50 degrees.  I've read you won't taste the flavors as well if the wine's not the right temperature.  50 - 60 degrees F should be good for a white.

The floral notes are definitely apparent when you smell the wine.  The smell doesn't fill your nasal cavities the same way a red does; it's lighter and sweeter.  Besides the twang of an acidic white wine, you can taste the sweetness of the fruits.  That is surrounded by a slight bite from the citrus flavors.  You can feel the acidity in the finish.  This wine is quite good, great for a hot summer evening.  Which is something we have a lot of here in the middle of Texas.  It would be nice on a hot day too- I just try to avoid drinking on weekdays...

Besides having a good excuse to drink wine on the weeknights, wine blogging has also led to an expansion of my vocabulary.  Tonight's word is quaff.  It is used to describe how one should drink this California white.  "It's meant to be quaffed, not analyzed."  Basically, drink up y'all!

Enjoy,

wine dummy :o)

- Wine fact sheet can be found here: http://www.folieadeux.com/pdf/factsheets/MAT_WHT_08_FS.pdf