Richard Longoria Wines
Chardonnay
Cuvée Diana
Santa Rita Hills
Lompoc, California, USA2004
15.4%
$37.99 -- Grapevine Market, Austin, TX
Color: Medium golden yellow
Nose: Hibiscus, orange, caramel
Body: Medium to full
Front: Almonds
Middle: Ripe orange peel
Back: Oak, cinnamon
Burns clean?: Yes
Cap: Cork
I don't get to drink five-year-old chardonnay every day, so this was a treat. It's quite French; not as oak-forward nor as acid-forward as the two California options tend to be, but an elegant balance of the two. Don't drink it too cold, or you'll lose most of the complexity of the wine. If you doubt that southern California can compete with Napa and Sonoma, try this wine.
I drank it with a sweet Italian sausage and penne dish that was the heated creation of my distracted and overworked brain, and it was a delightful accompaniment. The Norah Jones I paired it with musically was a little too self-conscious for the wine, I think -- something like the Lyle Lovett of It's Not Big It's Large would have been a better match for this grown-up, but not unplayful, wine.
