Wednesday's Wine - Kono Baru Unwooded Chardonnay, 2006

I know you all have been waiting all day for a wine pick. And some of you have been waiting for a few weeks for a white wine pick (apparently Water, 2008 doesn't count as a white wine). So we're going to actually leave Australia again and venture to the western part of the southern hemisphere (I think the southern hemisphere must be very nice to grapes) to visit my former favorite wine country...Chile. Now, I only say former because it's obvious I've fallen in love with the wines of Australia, but some of my favorites in years past have come from Chile. The fact is, I really started exploring wines back in 1997 after Consumer Reports did a wine issue (I know, what could a magazine devoted to testing appliances and cars know about wine!?!). As with everything they do, they find experts in the product. In this case, sommeliers (aka wine experts) were brought in and they compared several low cost wines with more expensive ones in the same grape from France. Anyway, they selected the best Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, a white and a pinkish wine. They lumped all the whites together for some unknown reason and all the pinks (which I do understand...heh). Anyway, the two reds were from Chile I think. I'll check on that some other time. Anyway, on with my wine pick:

The first thing you notice about Kono Baru Unwooded Chardonnay, 2006 is the label. It's upside down and the back label is partly sideways too...kinda. The second thing you notice is that the label says unwooded... Hmmm, what could that mean? These are the the tasting notes I made this weekend when I was drinking the last glass: I found it crisp with a slightly buttery edge to it. More fruit than viognier, but not sweet. In fact it has some tart kinda citrusy notes...but in a good way. Since it's not barreled in oak it's less buttery than some chardonnay and therefore a bit more refreshing. Good with chicken and I think would complement a turkey dinner very nicely.

The back label of the bottle (which you must read before opening or after draining the last drop out of it) says that this wine is "from the Casablanca region best known for white wines (really?). The unoaked profile highlights tropical fruit aromas with rich texture, finished with ripe apple and a hint of citrus." - Richard Bruno, winemaker. The label also says that the name of the wine comes "from tales of South Sea Prirates crude pronunciation of the Latin cornu baro, which means horned fool." Interesting. Just for that, I might have to serve it at a party sometime! Finally it's nice to know that as you experiment with wines and write down your thoughts as you go, you might actually know something about wine after awhile. Compare what I said above to what Don Sebastiani & Sons say about their wine:

This Chardonnay is devoid of oak in order to highlight the tropical fruit aromas and flavors. The aromas are filled with tropical guava, lychee and passion fruit and are framed by the mineral capacity of the varietal ripeness. The palate is rich and mineral driven but also almost creamy in texture due to receiving extensive lees contact throughout the aging process. The overall finish is complete and ripe with red delicious apple and baked pear with a hint of lemon citrus and suble clove spice.

This versatile white wine, is an excellent choice with grilled fish and chicken dishes. Try it with roasted pinenut encrusted chicken breast, with a lemon pesto oil, fresh hearts of palm, and Palta (avocado), a Chilean delight. Wild Salmon is always a good choice served over jasmine rice with lightly sautéed spinach in sesame oil, and dressed with meyer lemon juice and celery salt.

So, like I said, it's good with chicken! By the way, I pick this one up for about $7.00 or so on sale (I can't remember exactly how much, because I bought several weeks ago with a few other wines...so sue me...no wait, don't do that. Just go out and see what it costs in your neck of the woods.).