Oct. 21, 2007
Courtney Benham (Vinted & Bottled at Martin Ray)
Chardonnay
Napa Valley
2005
14.8%
About $17 – Total Wine, Durham, NC
Color: Light yellow
Nose: Fruity and a little hot; a little like a Sauv. Blanc nose
Body: Pretty dense
Front: Tart fruit -- apricotty
Middle: Buttery (more so the second day—fridge, stoppered, no gas)
Back: A little hot, but there’s some mineral type stuff in there
Burns clean?: Yes
Cap: Cork
Not super-good with food, but cheese is ok. I think 2 glasses gave me a headache. The structure is nice, very French, but it’s so intense that it’s kind of hard to appreciate it. It was more subtle the 2nd day, but still more Barry Bonds than Bernie Williams.
