Martin Ray Winery
Chardonnay
Russian River Valley
Sonoma
Santa Rosa, California, USA
2008
14.5%
$13.99 -- HEB, Austin, TX
Color: Light straw
Nose: Pineapple, Big League Chew
Body: Full
Front: Mango
Middle: Butter, honey
Back: Oak, toasted marshmallow
Burns clean?: Yes
Cap: Screwcap
This is a pretty, pleasant wine. It's not charming, nor particularly elegant, but you would invite it to a party if enough people were coming. For my palate, it's a bit too sweet; I'm drinking it on a hot afternoon that followed a difficult workday, and it's perfect for that. If you hate oak, there's a bit too much of it for this to please you--but if you aren't a woodhater, the tropicality of the wine balances the oak nicely. Acid, however, is not dominant.
