2006 Haras Chardonnay, Maipo, Chile

Haras de Pirque is a success story in Chile. Owned by entrepreneur Eduardo Matte and located in the southwestern part of Pirque, a prestigious winegrowing area situated in the Maipo Valley. The property covers around 600 hectares, gently ascends the lower slopes of a spur of the Andes Mountains. Today the estate not only produces great wines, it also breeds trophy winning thoroughbred stallions. It is not surprising that all Haras wines sport the picture of a horse drawn by Leonardo Da Vinci.

This wine is 100% chardonnay. 50% of the juice of this wine sees 6 months oak treatment in 1-2 year old French oak barrel. It is the entry level chardonnay of the winery and carries a 14.8% abv. 7000 cases are made.

Tasting notes:

Color: Light golden straw

Nose: Melon, grapefruit and oak.

Palate: The nose carries forward to the palate. Very level exhibition of fruit and citrus notes.
Hints of butterscotch also noted.

Body: Medium but very smooth.

Finish: Short to medium, but the fruit and acidity is inviting, begging drinkers for another sip.

Comment: Great QPR. A great year round Chardonnay. It is not the most exciting Chardonnay on the market, but for $10, it is worth stocking up. The smooth transition of nose, palate and finish makes it well situated for all occasions.
Paired this wine with pan fried progy and steamed sea bass. Good food and good wine.

2002 Tyrrell's Chardonnay Old Winery

The land of Tyrrell Winery is recognized as some of the Hunter Valley’s finest. Currently, this producer's wine portfolio is huge and the source of grapes comes from wine regions including McLaren Vale, Limestone Coast and Heathcote but this producer still call the Hunter Valley home.

According to Tyrrell's information, 13% the grape of this Chardonnay is sourced from Tyrrell’s McLaren Vale vineyards and the rest from Hunter Valley vineyards. This wine received 5 months of oak treatment in French oak barrels. It has 13% alcohol.

I took advantage of Wine Library's free shipping deal and bought this 2002 Chardonnay for $7. Based on the purchase price, it is a high QPR wine.

Tasting Notes

Color: Pretty yellow.

Nose: Cotton candy, pear, slight oak.

Palate: Nice citrus and fruit attack, bright acidity to keep the sweetness in check.

Body: Light to medium

Finish: Clean but short. Slightly bitter aftertaste.

Comments:
This is a simple Chardonnay. Cooked cod fish with dill sauce for dinner which pair well with this wine. Decent food match.

Side notes:
Wine Enthusiast August 2003 - 01/08/2003
“A fresh, food-friendly wine, the Old Winery Chardonnay has passion fruit, papaya and fresh herb flavors, with a light nougat aroma on the nose. On the palate, it’s gravelly, and maybe a little spritzy. It’s not a full, creamy, toasty blockbuster-but that’s part if its charm.”
88 points

2004 Willamette Valley Vineyards Chardonnay 'Dijon Clone'

Opened this wine Sunday night and paired it with pan seared wild pink salmon and a side dish of roasted baby red potato mixed with onion and mushroom. Even though the producer's fact sheet does not list neither fish nor potato as suggested food match, this wine does go surprisingly well with this type of salmon and potato (maybe because both dishes are well coated with oil).

With 14.5 % alcohol and less than 0.2% residual sugar, this chardonnay is definetely not a sipping wine that you serve at a casual cocktail party. It does beg for food.

Price: $16 from the winery.

Tasting notes:

Nose: Oak, vanilla and straw (my wife even noticed a hint of damp leaves)

Palate: Oak and vanilla nose follows through in the mouth. When wine warms up, citrus and strawberry flavor start to announce their presence.

Body: Medium and smooth.

Finish: Clean. Vanilla, hint of spice and a slighty bitter.

Comment: This is not the most interesting Chardonnay you can buy for $16. But at this price point, you can do far worse. It is at least varietally correct and has enough acidity to keep it from being flabby and boring.

Drank this wine in the course of 2 days. On the second day, it is slightly bigger and rounder.