Behind the Cork™ - Left Coast Truffle Hill Chardonnay

2018 Left Coast Truffle Hill Chardonnay ($24)

This Chardonnay is from Oregon’s Left Coast “Truffle Hill” vineyard that contains four acres of European Black Truffle-inoculated hazelnut trees, shrub roses and holly oaks.

This 100% Chardonnay is fermented in 80% Neutral French Oak and 20% New French before being aged for 9 months.

Left Coast winemaker Joe Wright’s tasting notes state “Palo Santo, elder flowers, white pepper and toffee, with fruitier aromas of lemon peel, peaches and pears. This age-worthy Chardonnay offers up bright acidity, ripe kiwi fruit, a nectary mid- palate and spiced poached pears.” [My Note: Palo Santo in Spanish literally means “Holy Wood”. It is part of the citrus family and has sweet notes of pine, mint and lemon.]

I found this Truffle Hill Chardonnay to be terrific. It was rich and complex with a creamy finish and lingering acidity.

This is a really good one that deserves your attention. Look for it! Cheers!

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Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received this wine at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Sample Provided by Left Coast Estate winery

Behind the Cork™ - Phantom Chardonnay by Bogle

2017 Phantom Chardonnay by Bogle ($20)

Here’s a “scary” one from Bogle that is very appropriate as we approach Halloween. This Phantom Chardonnay is inspired by a ghostly figure that wanders the Bogle cellars at night. And, there are also some paranormal stories of the Phantom available by downloading the “Augmented Reality Wine Labels” app from the internet and scanning the Phantom bottle label.

As for this Phantom Chardonnay, it was sur lee aged for 10 months in 100% French Oak with lees stirring twice a month.

The result is anything but scary. It’s actually downright friendly to the nose and pallet. This Chardonnay has wonderful aromas of honey, vanilla and baked apples. The oak aging results in creamy, buttery flavors of caramel and butterscotch, along with apple and pear with just a touch of acidity to round out its flavor.

After tasting this one, I went out the next day and bought another one. It’s that good. So keep you eyes out for this Phantom Chardonnay by Bogle! Cheers!

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Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received this wine at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Sample Provided by Bogle Vineyards

Wine Facts: Can You Say Viognier?

Viognier (Vee-own-Yay) is a wine that has taken an extreme backseat in the past to Chardonnay, yet shares a lot of similarities.

This grape is originally from the Northern Rhône region of France. And, while France still grows approximately one-third of the world’s Viognier grapes, it is also grown in the U.S., Italy, Argentina South Africa, Argentina, Chile and New Zealand.

Viognier is golden yellow in color, medium to full-bodied. It’s typically described as having floral notes along with flavors of stone fruits and tropical fruits (e.g., aromas of rose and honeysuckle with peach, tangerine, and mango flavors). And, it can finish with subtle bitter notes.

It’s also known for having a bit of an oily texture on the palette has well as having a creamy soft texture when aged in oak.

So, if you like Chardonnay, you may want to say “Viognier” next time you are looking for a terrific white wine. Cheers!

Behind the Cork™ - Duckhorn Chardonnay

2017 Duckhorn Napa Valley Chardonnay ($19)

Here’s another ‘big name’ Chardonnay that’s worth checking out.

Dan and Margaret Duckhorn founded Duckhorn Vineyards in Napa Valley in 1976, which was one of the first 40 Napa Valley wineries. Keenly focused on producing excellent red wines, it wasn’t until 2012 that they produced their first Chardonnay.

Their 100% Chardonnay sees 10 months in French Oak barrels with 40% being new, 30% second vintage and 30% neutral. Although, 10% is held back and is kept in Stainless Steel.

Interestingly, before the barrel aging, 40% of the Chardonnay goes through Malolactic conversion.

This process yields a nicely balanced Chardonnay with nice aromas of nectarine and spices. They even describe it as having aromas of pineapple upside-down cake. And, yes, with that description, I’d agree.

On the palate this Chardonnay does have subtle oak that yields hints of vanilla yet still has some bright fruit and a touch of acidity.

So, this is yet another fine example of a Behind the Cork™ wine — it’s widely available and a really nice value for a Napa Valley Chardonnay. Give it a try! Cheers!

Behind the Cork™ - Sonoma-Cutrer Chardonnay

2016 Sonoma-Cutrer Sonoma Coast Chardonnay ($19)

This Sonoma-Cutrer is one that is easy to pass-by on the wine aisle. It’s from a big producer and it’s widely availability. But, this is a solid wine. Which makes it perfect for a Behind the Cork™ feature.

The Sonoma Coast is producing a lot of very good wines and Chardonnay is one of the stars. It’s a great growing climate for this grape.

Sonoma-Cuter hand sorts their grapes to ensure only best fruit get processed and the leaves, stems and damaged fruit are removed. The whole clusters are pressed avoiding any skin contact or seeds that result in bitter tannin. The fermentation takes place in a combination of French oak barrels and stainless steel tanks.

To get the creamy smoothness of this 100% Chardonnay, it undergoes Malolactic conversion and is then aged sur-lies in a mixture of new, one-year old and neutral French oak.

This results in a Chardonnay with soft flavors of pear and peach, hints of vanilla and just a touch of acidity.

It’s a really good one! Cheers!