Enobytes Wine Blog

Helen Turley first discovered the Upper Barn (an old-clone chardonnay plot) on the Alexander Mountain Estate over a decade ago. Today, this location has been the source for some of California’s best Chardonnays.

Perched at at elevation of 1,800 feet, the ’08 Stonestreet Alexander Mountain Estate Upper Barn Chardonnay is a shining example of the fruit harvested from this plot. It’s fruit forward, full-bodied, rich and creamy wine with notes of tropical citrus, pear, honey and lemon flavors finishing with bright acidity and mineral.

Tastes like: Poached pears with lemon and honey sauce

Pairs nicely with: Freshly cracked crab with lemon-butter sauce; 50th anniversaries and birthdays; non-scheduled sex; Lobster Ravioli with Crabmeat Cream Sauce; first dates; A French Riviera beach walk on the Mediterranean Sea.

Cellaring: Drink now or cellar through 2012 if you have the willpower to wait.

Case production: 326

Rating: 93 | $65 | 14.5% ABV

Find this wine: Vinquire | WineZap.com

Last week we were down in Northern California for a wedding (Congratulations again, Rob) and as always, we were checking out a few retail wines at a local grocery store. I was amazed at the selection of well-known labels producing Chardonnay at prices we do not see here in Oregon. We loaded up and here is a comparison I thought might be appropriate this time of year.

First up is the Estancia Pinnacles Ranch 2006 Monterey County Chardonnay. This wine is crisp and refreshing and a style of Chardonnay that almost everyone will appreciate. Although the spec sheet states that the wine has been aged in French and American Oak and 60% of the blend underwent malolactic fermentation, neither the aromas nor the flavors reflect those techniques. I found the wine interesting and certainly capable of filling many culinary pairings. It was crisp and a bit austere still appealing but not exhibiting any signs of oak aging or malolactic fermentation. Read the rest of this entry »

The driving question going into 2008 about wine, for me, revolves around integrity. Wine producers have surprised me this year in their ability to market wines that happened by mistake or the cellar rat mixed two tanks. Oreana’s Red Table Wine, from Santa Barbara (available at Trader Joe’s), the label reads mistake or fate, and then they launch into a tale of two tanks being mixed. Wasn’t that the story behind the Non-vintage Chardonnay from the Paso Robles Winery "Eos" (Novella)?

Regardless of the story behind the wine, the bottom line becomes, is it good wine at a price-point that represents value? The value of integrity continues to be challenged regarding consumers and wine producers. It does not only reflect on the producers. Consumers have their own concept of marketing integrity now believing the best quality can be mirrored at any level. A good example would be this scenario; the most asked for wine this year was Rombauer Chardonnay. Well not actually – the question usually goes like this, “My favorite wine is Rombauer Chardonnay”. I always reply, “Regrettably, we do not carry that wine” and most often the customer replies with “what do you have at less than $10 that will taste like Rombauer”? My response is always the same, “nothing", at its current asking price of $30 there is a reason I do not sell anything as good at less than $10. The wine is phenomenal and undervalued. Rombauer continues to make wines that represent integrity year after year.

Hands down, the favorite Cab people ask you to mirror would be Silver Oak “Napa
Valley” Cabernet Sauvignon again at less than $10. Read the rest of this entry »