Ferrari-Carano Winery
Chardonnay
Alexander Valley
Healdsburg, California, USA
2007
13.9%
$19.99 -- Costco, Austin, TX
Color: Light gold
Nose: Pineapples and cream, fig
Body: Medium to full
Front: Pineapple
Middle: Mango butter, white pepper
Back: Apple, oak
Burns clean?: Yes
Cap: Cork
I'm a fan of other Ferrari-Carano wines, so I thought I'd give this one a shot. It's a rich, substantial wine, big like many California Chardonnays, but the balance of tropical fruit and buttery oak is nice. There is a little sparkly, spicy thing that happens at the end of the mid-palate that is notable and delightful. The structure of the wine is interesting, too; it's almost like it unfolds twice: acid-to-butteryness, then repeat.
This would be excellent with a white sauce or a baked fish, I would guess. It's a rainy night, so the weight of the wine makes a nice combination with the cool and damp.
