NW
Chardonnay Tasting Full of Surprises
By Bob Woehler
Wine tasting can sometimes be like opening a box
of chocolates - you often don't know what you're going to get.
Sorry, Forrest Gump, but that analogy was sort of true for a
tasting of nearly 100 Pacific Northwest chardonnays by a Wine
Press Northwest panel earlier this spring.
Of course we knew we were going to find a lot of good
chardonnays and a few great ones in the blind tasting, but what we
didn't know was that the majority of the ones that received the
outstanding rating would be some of the more inexpensive
chardonnays.
Chardonnay is the nation's largest-selling wine variety, and
the same is true for the Northwest. The dry white wine often with
a rich, full taste and oak overtones is a favorite either as an
appetizer or with fish or fowl.
I'll mention those from grapes grown in the Mid-Columbia in
order of preference starting with the top outstanding category,
then on to those judged excellent.
Arbor Crest Wine Cellars 1999 chardonnay, Columbia Valley, $8 -
Toasty oak beginning. Lots of flavors of tropical fruit, apples
and spice with a long, rich finish. (Best buy)
Columbia Crest 1999 Grand Estates chardonnay, Columbia Valley,
$11 - Great integration of vanilla oak and ripe fruit makes this a
big, buttery chardonnay with a long and satisfying finish. (Best
buy)
Hogue Cellars 1999 Fruit Forward chardonnay, Columbia Valley,
$9 - Lovely tropical fruit including pineapple and coconut give
this wine great richness, excellent acidity and a smooth finish.
(Best buy)
Arbor Crest Wine Cellars 1999 Conner Lee Vineyard chardonnay,
Columbia Valley, $18 - Nice toasty aromas with rich, bold, fruity
flavors including apples and a pleasant mouth feel at the finish.
Chateau Ste. Michelle 1999 Cold Creek Vineyard chardonnay,
Columbia Valley, $30 - Excellent oak beginning with complex butter
cream flavors and consistency. Hints of tropical fruit and citrus
end with a rich finish.
Those in the excellent classification included the following:
Three Rivers Winery 1999 chardonnay, Columbia Valley, $22 -
Rich, flavorful mouth feel with right-on acidity and a toasty oak
beginning. Great varietal characteristics.
L'Ecole No. 41 1999 chardonnay, Columbia Valley, $23 - Nice
tropical fruit highlight this full-flavored, well-balanced wine
with a rich send-off.
Apex Cellars 1999 chardonnay, Columbia Valley, $20 - Smoky oak
aromas with right-on acids make this a delicious and delightful
wine that is an excellent accompaniment with a variety of seafood
or creamy chicken dishes.
Barnard Griffin 1999 chardonnay, Columbia Valley, $13 - Good
oak beginning with pleasant pineapple and melon flavors and a
delicious, rich, buttery finish.
Chateau Ste. Michelle 1999 Canoe Ridge Estate Vineyard
chardonnay, Columbia Valley, $20 - Apples and tropical fruit with
light oak aromas make this a flavorful complex wine.
Chateau Ste. Michelle 1999 chardonnay, Columbia Valley, $13 -
Nice butterscotch richness adds to the good fruit components and
crisp finish.
Pend d'Oreille Winery 1999 Bistro Blanc chardonnay, Washington,
$10 - A well-balanced toasty wine with apple fruit and a bit of
nuts on the finish. (Best buy)
Woodward Canyon Winery 1998 Estate chardonnay, Walla Walla
Valley, $45 - If you like oak, this is for you. Big vanilla aromas
lead to lots of rich fruit flavors tempered by excellent acids.
Chinook Wines 1998 chardonnay, Yakima Valley, $26 - Solid oak
beginning, pineapple and tropical fruit flavors and fine crispness
lead to a satisfying finish.
Columbia Crest 1999 chardonnay, Columbia Valley, $12 - Floral
citrus aromas with vanilla. Light acids and a long, clean
farewell. (Best buy)
Woodward Canyon Winery 1999 Celilo Vineyard chardonnay,
Washington, $45 - Big, lush and buttery with great oak. Lot of
acids to balance the fruit that includes tropical and a touch of
lemon.
Apex Cellars 1999 Outlook Vineyard chardonnay, Yakima Valley,
$30 - Smooth as silk with complex flavor and a great mouth feel.
Nice toasty oak beginning.
Gordon Brothers Cellars 1999 chardonnay, Columbia Valley, $16 -
Toasty with a little mineral characteristic. Nice fresh, fruity
flavors and a good balance of acids and fruit.
W.B. Bridgman 1999 chardonnay, Columbia Valley, $11 - Good oak
and white flower aromas. Excellent balance, fresh and rich with
great finish. (Best buy)
Columbia Crest 1998 Reserve chardonnay, Columbia Valley, $21 -
Nice toasty aroma showing classic fruit, lots of butter and a
pleasing mouth feel.
Hoodsport 1998 chardonnay, Yakima Valley $17 - Balanced between
fruit and oak. Excellent length of flavors including tropical
fruit.
Columbia Winery 1999 Woodburne Cuvée chardonnay, Columbia
Valley, $14 - Complex full-bodied wine with fruit and with nice
yeasty aroma. Crisp food friend finish.
Bob Woehler
has been writing about grapes and wines of the Pacific Northwest
since 1978. His columns appear twice monthly in the Tri-City
Herald in Tri-Cities, Wash. and in Wine
Press Northwest.
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e-mail to Bob Woehler
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