Wednesday's Wine - Two Chardonnays and a Riesling

As y'all know, I've been down in Texas for the past week enjoying the company of my family. Okay actually, I'm mostly enjoying the company of my nephews (I'll have more on that tomorrow). Anyway, while visiting with my mother, since she knows I'm doing a wine post every week, she had me try some different inexpensive wines that she happened to have in the frig.

The first one she had me try was Beaulieu Vineyard Coastal Estates Chardonnay, 2006. I found it to be crisper than a typical Chardonnay and not so buttery. It was also a bit on the floral side in both taste and aroma. According to my mother it was about $8.00. My mother had this one with her chicken salad and fruit. Here's what Beaulieu Vineyards said about their wine:

Yellow-gold color. Strong, fresh apple-citrus aromas with a hint of vanilla. Medium full- bodied, with creamy texture and round, succulent, juicy flavors, this vintage reveals ripe apple fruit combined with hints of green almond and pear in the finish. Moderate acidity heightens the wine's approachable softness. Ideal with fresh Dungeness crab, soft cheeses like Camembert and roast halibut steaks.

In comparison, my mother had me try Chateau Ste. Michelle Columbia Valley Chardonnay, 2006. I found it to have more of a noticeable oak taste than the previous Chardonnay. It was also more tart, yet buttery. But other than that, it was on the boring side for me. I will say it did complement the chicken salad and the sweeter fruits we had on the side. It was not bad, just not very exciting. On the other hand, the less exciting wines tend to be better with food. My mother said it could be had for under $10.00. Here's what Chateau Ste. Michelle said about their wine:

“My goal vintage after vintage is to make the Columbia Valley Chardonnay a pleasurable, food-friendly Chardonnay. This 2006 bottling is a fresh, soft Chardonnay with appealing sweet citrus fruit character with subtle oak nuances. I work with vineyard lots from all over the Columbia Valley to make this a complex, interesting wine. This is a versatile food wine that can work with many foods including chicken, pork and white sauce pastas.”
-Bob Bertheau, Head Winemaker

Just so you know, I take my notes first and later look the wine up on the internet to find a suitable picture of the label and to find some commentary on the wine. It's a good way to learn about wine and frankly, it's kind of fun to find out if what I said about the wine is accurate or at least was intended reaction by the winemakers.

The last wine I tasted was 50th Latitude Reisling, 2007 from the Mosel region of Germany (I believe) and also under $10.00. I generally avoid Reisling wines as I'm not a big fan of the sweet ones. But since my mother had one in the frig, I was obligated to try that one too. For research purposes of course. Fortunately, I found this wine to be sweet, but not cloyingly sweet on the front end and it had a tart finish. I couldn't find anything about the vineyard. Although, being a German wine, anything I might have been able to find out would have likely been in the German language anyway. On corkd.com I did find a very short description from boneygirl (please don't ask me, I really don't know):

This is a balanced, lightly sweet Riesling with a lemony taste. Great contrast between acidity and sweetness.

Okay, that's it for white wine for awhile I think. I've had more than my fill lately. Enjoy!