2007 Murphy-Goode Sonoma County Chardonnay

Murphy Is Goode

Is that the laziest pun ever, up there in the headline? I mean, It’s not Ron Washam lazy, but as far as puns go…

At any rate, Chardonnay Week continues, and with this Sonoma County offering, you get a little bit of both worlds of California chardonnay. It’s not quite all butter and toothpicks, and it’s not actually unoaked.

It’s a happy medium between the two. I could drink this with food (in fact, I did), I could cook with it (in fact, I did), and I could drink it on its own (did that too). This is right in my wheelhouse as far as good, solid, everyday-style chardonnays go. I might personally still prefer sauvignon blanc, riesling, and viognier… but sometimes chardonnay comes calling.

The Murphy-Goode is an excellent answer.

It’s a light straw yellow in the glass, but there is a hint of green here too. It’s not always easy to see (and no, I wasn’t holding the glass up to a green wall or anything) but it’s there. The nose features aromas of oak, grass, lemon zest, and rain.

Yeah, I said rain, wanna fight about it?

The wine is medium-bodied, with a light oakiness, but the wine in general is clean, crisp, and light. There’s a little of that chardonnay “butteriness” here too, but so’s some minerality, a nice wet stone minerality that cuts the butter (haw!) and keeps everything a little more light hearted.

A solid, solid addition to any chard fan’s cellar. Murphy is, after all, Goode.

Verdict: B+

2007 Murphy-Goode Sonoma County Chardonnay

2007 Murphy-Goode Sonoma County Chardonnay

2007 La Crema Sonoma Coast Chardonnay

Exactly What I Expect From Cali Chard

Sometimes, wine doesn’t surprise you at all.

Everyone knows the scene in Sideways when the oenophile protagonist, Miles, declares his disdain for Merlot. However, earlier in the film, he makes the following comment about Chardonnay:

Miles: These guys make top-notch Pinot and Chardonnay. One of the best producers in Santa Barbara county.

Jack: I thought you hated Chardonnay.

Miles: I like all varietals. I just don’t generally like the way they manipulate Chardonnay in California — too much oak and secondary malolactic fermentation.

While I’m not 100% sure that excess ML in the process is what I don’t like about Cali chardonnay, what I can easily agree with here is the sentiment: I’ll take a French Chablis any day, but the majority of the chardonnay made in California is simply not my style.

Like this one, for instance.

The 2007 La Crema Sonoma Coast Chardonnay (they make a Monterey County version, as well) is a pretty run-of-the-mill Cali chard. It’s an attractive bright golden yellow in the glass, and the nose features notes of apple, pear, and a thick butteriness.

On the palate, the wine is medium-bodied, oaky, and buttery. A very “California” chardonnay. It drinks just fine if you don’t mind the occasional splinter.

Give this one a bump of a grade or two if you’re into the oaky/buttery thing. It’s not for me, though, and this here’s my wine blog, not yours, so…

Verdict: C+

2007 La Crema Sonoma Coast Chardonnay

2007 La Crema Sonoma Coast Chardonnay

2008 TRÉ Chardonnay

A Supermarket Surprise

I do love being surprised by wine.

Sometimes, the surprise comes in the form of some new aroma, flavor or texture I’ve yet to come across. Other times, I get surprised to discover an area of the world that I did not take to be a wine growing region makes some truly righteous juice.

And still other times, I have my preconceived notions about price and quality utterly shattered. Just stomped. That, perhaps, is the most fun, because I get to share that surprise with you, and there’s a better chance you can end up sharing in it.

The 2008 TRÉ Chardonnay is 100% Monterey County chard. It should be available for $9.95 at your local store (your mileage will vary on that note, of course). And, frankly, it’s pretty damn good chardonnay.

The wine is a bright lemon yellow in the glass. I originally wanted to call it “straw” but that didn’t seem right. My wife suggested I hold up a lemon next to the glass, and voilà, that was exactly the color. The nose is primarily made up of an apple note, along with some grass and minerality that seemed almost sauvignon blanc-ish, but there is still something on the nose that leaves you no doubt this is chardonnay.

The wine is medium bodied, and something in here bites back ever so slightly (though, “heat” isn’t the right word—this wine clocks in at 12.5% ABV and feels like it). In general, the wine is clean and crisp on the palate. Notes of lemon zest and green apple mingle with a subtle, pleasant oaky roundness. The wine is in no way over-oaked, but it has touched wood and been bettered by it.

All in all, my expectations were admittedly a bit low when I popped the cork on the TRÉ Chardonnay, but I was pleasantly surprised over and over again. Easily recommended, especially when you consider the sub-$10 price point.

Verdict: B

(Full disclosure: I was sent this bottle as a press sample from Folsom & Associates)

2008 TRE Chardonnay

2008 TRE Chardonnay