Tag Archives: chardonnay

Expensive wine 171: William Fevre Champs Royaux Chablis 2020

William Fevre Champs Royaux Chablis bottle
William Fevre Champs Royaux Chablis 2020/$25-$40

Another fine vintage of this Chablis from a top-notch producer

Chablis is one of the few places left to find value in white Burgundy, France’s high-end version of chardonnay. Value, of course, is relative in this case, since very ordinary white Burgundy that’s not especially high-end can cost $40.

Which is where the William Fevre Champs Royaux Chablis 2020 ($28, purchased, 12.5%) comes in. William Fevre is a top producer, and its wines have appeared on the blog a couple of times. They were also among the Big Guy’s favorites; several of us drank this in his honor a couple of weeks ago.

The Champs Royaux is richer than many Chablis, which is most often a lean, more crisp approach to chardonnay. That’s because the Royaux gets a tiny hint of oak – not enough so the wine is oaky, but enough to notice that it’s a bit different. But the lemon and apple fruit is subdued, and it’s still a mineral driven wine, as Chablis should be (what the wine geeks call wet stone). Let this age a bit, and it should get a little leaner.

Highly recommended, and something to think about when it’s time for late summer entertaining. The Big Guy would have asked me to roast a chicken to pair with it, and that’s always a fine idea with this wine.

Imported by Maison & Domaines Henriot America

Wine of the week: Domaine de Bernier Chardonnay 2020

Domaine de Bernier Chardonnay
Domaine de Bernier Chardonnay 2020/$9-$15

This $10 French chardonnay is a revelation – even for those of us who have all but given up cheap chardonnay

The Wine Curmudgeon has all but given up on chardonnay that costs less than $15 a bottle. It’s either sweet or crammed full of fake oak or undergone the buttered popcorn treatment – or, shudder, features some combination of all three.

So know that the Domaine de Bernier chardonnay is a revelation, a stunning French wine that is a reminder of what cheap wine should be – professional, varietally correct, and devoid of focus group shenanigans.

That means the Domaine de Bernier Chardonnay 2020 ($10, purchased, 12%) combines the best the best qualities of French chardonnay (round and full and green apple and pear fruit) at an unbelievable price. It’s not even especially simple, which is usually about the best we can hope for in this kind of wine these days. There’s a fair amount of subtlety going on, if I can mix my adjectives, and the finish is especially long and crisp.

So how is this wine this cheap? The grapes come from the Loire, hardly known for chardonnay, which helps keep the price down. In addition, the producer and importer understand pricing in a way too many others don’t. Price it right, sell it out, and enjoy the results.

Highly recommended, and almost certain to show up in the 2023 Hall of Fame and to make the shortlist for the 2023 Cheap Wine of the Year.

Imported by Vineyard Brands

Expensive wine 155: Olivier Leflaive Bourgogne Blanc Les Sétilles 2018

Olivier Leflaive Bourgogne Blanc Les Sétilles 2018
Olivier Leflaive Bourgogne Blanc Les Sétilles 2018/$20-$40

Ah, white Burgundy – why does it always make the WC smile so?

The first thing to know about this wine is to ignore most of the tasting notes and reviews you might see. Otherwise, you won’t want to drink it.

It’s too oaky. It’s not buttery enough. It’s too rich. It’s not complex enough.

Sigh. Why must we ruin all the things we love (and yes, baseball, that includes you)? The Big Guy brought this bottle of the Le Setilles ($30, purchased, 13%) over to WC world headquarters last fall, and we thoroughly enjoyed it.

And why not? It’s a fine bottle of chardonnay from France’s Burgundy, made by a fine producer — and even sort of affordable (in that weird, white Burgundy way). Know that this vintage is not exactly the same as some others; it’s richer and fuller, without the freshness and green apple fruit that often marks the Les Setilles. Instead, look for not quite juicy stone fruits and a bit of lemon. The oak, of course, is as integrated as it should be for this style of wine.

Does it matter that it’s different?
Nope – because, as the late and much missed Diane Teitelbaum told me all those years, wine isn’t supposed to taste the same every year.

A vintage note: There is still lots of the 2018 left, as well as the 2019 and 2020. I’d opt for the 2018, if only because the age will make the wine more interesting. And prices are all the place, too – as little as $20 at some stores.

Imported by Frederick Wildman and Sons

Expensive wine 150: Balletto Vineyards Chardonnay 2017

Balletto Vineyards Chardonnay 2017
Balletto Vineyards Chardonnay 2017/$22-$30

Balleto’s chardonnay is a reminder that California can make make some of the best wine the world

Yes, the Wine Curmudgeon knows that $25 isn’t considered expensive in today’s premiumized, gold-played, crappy wine costs $18 world. But the Balletto chardonnay is worth every penny of that $25, and probably quite a bit more.

Perhaps more importantly: I would gladly buy a bottle to share with the Big Guy the next time he comes over to taste wine.

So what do you get with the Baletto Chardonnay 2017 ($25, sample, 13.6%)?

This is a stellar and precise California chardonnay, in which each part of the wine contributes to the whole, and where the idea of balance is all. So if you’re looking for a tub of Land o’ Lakes, look elsewhere.

Instead, the green apple and soft lime fruit aren’t overwhelmed by the oak, which sits in the background and does exactly what oak is supposed to do – support the wine and not be its reason for being. The 2017 has remained fresh and lively – something I expect from Chablis and unoaked chardonnay, but not necessarily from California oaked chardonnay at this price.

Highly recommended. The wine would complement a Thanksgiving turkey or almost any other holiday meal that isn’t red meat. And it would make a fine gift, as well.

Wine of the week: Louis Jadot Macon-Villages 2020

Jadot Mâcon-Villages 2020
Louis Jadot Mâcon-Villages 2020/$12-$18

This French white, made with chardonnay, reminds us of the joys of simple wine

One of the drawbacks with writing about wine for as long as I have is the tendency to start too many reviews with, “I remember when. …” Because there is already way too much of that crankiness in the wine world (to say nothing of the larger, everyday world).

So it doesn’t matter that the Jadot Macon-Villages used to be one of those simple, everyday wines you bought without a second thought until the wine business went off in the various and foolish directions it did over the past decade. The question today: Does the wine qualify, at this moment, as a blog wine of the week?

The answer: Yes.

That’s because the Louis Jadot Mâcon-Villages 2020 ($12, purchased, 13%) is a simple, technically correct chardonnay from the Macon region of Burgundy. No, there isn’t a lot going on, and it isn’t as minerally or as lemony or as crisp as some, even at this price. But it’s not vanilla pudding supermarket plonk, either.

Instead, the wine is clean and fresh, with green apple fruit, and is just the kind of thing to buy without a second thought (even if you already knew that because you reviewed it a decade ago). Grilled chicken breasts, anyone?

Prices are all over the place for this, but if you can find it for $12 or less, you won’t be disappointed.

Imported by Kobrand

Mini-reviews 150: Nielson, Donnata, Old Soul, Scheurebe

roses
“What, no rose in the mini-reviews this month?”

Reviews of wines that don’t need their own post, but are worth noting for one reason or another. Look for it on the fourth Friday of each month. This month, three wines to take your chances with, plus one of the geekiest bottles in blog history.

• Nielson Chardonnay 2019 ($15, sample, 14.1%): California white answers the question of whether liquid oak is a thing. Yes, it is.

• Alessandro di Camporeale Donnata 2019 ($17, sample, 13.5%): Generic Italian red that could be made from any grape or from any region — some cherry fruit, some acidity, and soft tannins. Call it one more focus group wine to be sold to Americans. Imported by Panebianco

• Old Soul Pinot Noir 2018 ($18, sample, 14%): Hot and syrupy Lodi pinot noir, for people who prefer that style.

• Müller-Catoir Scheurebe 2018 ($15, sample, 12.5%): German white is about as wine geeky as it gets. Scheurebe is a cross between riesling and an obscure German grape, so it’s funky on the nose and almost medicinal — very green herb-y, with a minimum of apple fruit. Imported by Skurnik Winess

Photo: “Boyfriend and girlfriend drinking wine closeup. Pink colors for Valentine day” by shixart1985 is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Wine of the week: Scaia Garganega Chardonnay 2020

Scaia Garganega Chardonnay
Scaia Garganega Chardonnay 2020/$10-$15

This Italian white blend shows the difference honest winemaking brings to cheap wine

The Wine Curmudgeon has been drinking this Italian white blend for six years, and this is the fourth vintage we’ve reviewed on the blog. Do you see a pattern?

In other words, terrific cheap wine year after year. Yes, there have been vintage differences, and the 2013 is still the most interesting effort. But each of the others have been worth buying and drinking.

Know a couple of things about the Scaia Garganega Chardonnay 2020 ($10, purchased, 12.5%). First, it’s an unlikely bend, since garganega is the grape used to make Soave and chardonnay is hardly very Italian. Second, neither is much respected among the Winestream Media, and so I’ve never really seen this wine get many raves.

And who cares? It’s cheap, well-made, and is just the thing for any weeknight dinner or for a glass of wine after work. This vintage has little more balance than the 2018, though not as well done as the 2013. There is lots of tart green apple fruit, and the wine is clean and crisp at the finish — simple, but not stupid.

Highly recommended, and sure to return to the Hall of Fame in 2022. And anyone who drink this regularly has a serving bowl full of the glass tops that the wine is closed with sitting in their kitchen.

Imported by Dalla Terra