My parents cracked open a few bottles of wine on Turkey Day, and this is the first I’ll mention. Personally, I’d never had Chablis before, but I’ve had plenty of Chardonnay. I like some Chardonnay, and do not like others. Personally, I’m a fan of big, over-the-top, butter-and-oak Napa Chardonnay.
This couldn’t have been further from that.
Which isn’t to say I hated it, but it really wasn’t for me. The color in the glass is very pretty, a light yellow straw color that turns almost completely clear in certain light. It actually looked very similar in color to the stick of butter on the serving dish in front of me.
On the nose was skunkiness that in no way smelled like “bad” or “turned” wine. It was skunky in a good way, if that makes sense. A bit of a mineral/stone/earth note, along with a hint of sour apple, like a Granny Smith.
None of the skunkiness followed onto the palate, but the apple did. The sour apple was followed by a kind of sweet citrus, almost grapefruit, and the finish was punctuated with a nuttiness that I took for an almond character.
In general, the wine was dry and acidic, so if that’s your thing, you may well love this wine. For me, however, it’s just not what I choose to drink, and it’s not something I could get super-excited about. The flavors were a bit flat for me, and the wine was a bit sour all-around.
Verdict: 79/100