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750ml
Bottle:
$8.94
On the nose, bright citrus aromas are accented by fresh meringue with a hint of vanilla. On the palate, enjoy the...
750ml
Bottle:
$41.94
12 bottles:
$41.10
• 100% Chardonnay.
• Old Wente selection planted in 1999 by Ulises Valdez on Goldridge Soil in a block of...
750ml
Bottle:
$18.36
$20.40
12 bottles:
$16.63
Blanc de Bleu, a sparkling wine with an added hint of blueberries, is a delicate wine reserved for memorable...
750ml
Bottle:
$14.73
12 bottles:
$13.99
Ours is not a buttery, oaky Chard. It sees no malolactic fermentation and no oak so you get a dry and bright palate...
750ml
Bottle:
$9.99
An initial impression of rich, buttery cream quickly turns to aromas of honey and lightly toasted almonds, followed...
750ml
Bottle:
$19.60
12 bottles:
$15.83
The brilliant light green and golden straw hue of our Estate Chardonnay hints at the depth of flavor that unfolds in...
750ml
Bottle:
$46.43
$51.59
Nestled between the shore of the upper Russian River and a blue heron nesting site and preserve, the Blue Heron Ranch...
750ml
Bottle:
$14.64
$15.41
12 bottles:
$11.52
This Zinfandel offers aromas of blueberry, black stone fruit and black pepper. Polished tannins and flavors of...
750ml
Bottle:
$25.27
$28.08
12 bottles:
$20.52
Shows peach, apricot, Honeycrisp apple and bright Meyer lemon flavors on a sleek, juicy frame, with hints of herbs...
750ml
Bottle:
$18.36
$20.40
12 bottles:
$16.63
A fruit bomb, with just enough character to keep things interesting. Reveals jammy blackberry and licorice flavors...
750ml
Bottle:
$18.32
$19.28
12 bottles:
$13.18
The fruit jumps out of the glass and reminds you of roasted pear or baked apple pie. Big fruit and brown spices...
750ml
Bottle:
$29.65
12 bottles:
$29.06
This Chardonnay showcases the brilliance of Eden Rift’s mountain estate. It is bright with notes of exotic citrus,...
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$15.41
Aromas of tropical fruit, citrus and red apple with delicious notes of butterscotch and honey highlight this rich yet...
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$32.40
A solidly well-balanced and classic expression of Chardonnay with notes of lemon, lime and grapefruit, white peach...
750ml - Case of 12
Bottle:
$42.12
Satiny, rich, and complex, with layers of butterscotch, fig, apricot and pear that are impeccably balanced. Bold and...
Chardonnay Zinfandel United States California Central Coast Mendocino County
Of all the white wine grape varietals, surely the one which has spread the furthest and is most widely appreciated is the Chardonnay. This green skinned grape is now grown all over the Old and New Worlds, from New Zealand to the Americas, from England to Chile, and is one of the first varietals people think of when considering white wine grapes. Perhaps this is because of its huge popularity which reached a peak in the 1990s, thanks to new technologies combining with traditional methods to bring the very best features out of the Chardonnay grape, and allow its unique qualities to shine through. Most fine Chardonnay wines use a process known as malolactic fermentation, wherein the malic acids in the grape juice are converted to lactic acids, allowing a creamier, buttery nature to come forward in the wine. No grape varietal is better suited to this process than Chardonnay, which manages to balance these silky, creamy notes with fresh white fruit flavors beautifully.
The precise origins of what became known as the Zinfandel grape variety are uncertain, although it has clear genetic equivalents in both Puglia and Croatia. However, when it was brought to the New World in the mid 19th century, it became known as the Zinfandel, and has been consistently popular and widely grown ever since. These very dark and very round grapes have a remarkably high sugar content, resulting in relatively high levels of alcohol in the wines they are made into, with bottles often displaying as much as fifteen percent. What makes the Zinfandel such an interesting grape, though, is the fact that the flavors produced by this varietal vary considerably depending on the climate they are grown in. In cooler valley regions, the Zinfandel grapes result in wines which hold strong flavors of tart and sweet fruits; raspberry, redcurrant and sweet cherry, held in a very smooth and silky liquid. Conversely, warmer regions result in more complex and spicy notes, including anise, pepper and hedgerow berries.
Of all the New World wine countries, perhaps the one which has demonstrated the most flair for producing high quality wines - using a combination of traditional and forward-thinking contemporary methods - has been the United States of America. For the past couple of centuries, the United States has set about transforming much of its suitable land into vast vineyards, capable of supporting a wide variety of world-class grape varietals which thrive on both the Atlantic and the Pacific coastlines. Of course, we immediately think of sun-drenched California in regards to American wines, with its enormous vineyards responsible for the New World's finest examples of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot based wines, but many other states have taken to viticulture in a big way, with impressive results. Oregon, Washington State and New York have all developed sophisticated and technologically advanced wine cultures of their own, and the output of U.S wineries is increasing each year as more and more people are converted to their produce.
California as a wine producing region has grown in size and importance considerably over the past couple of centuries, and today is the proud producer of more than ninety percent of the United States' wines. Indeed, if California was a country, it would be the fourth largest producer of wine in the world, with a vast range of vineyards covering almost half a million acres. The secret to California's success as a wine region has a lot to do with the high quality of its soils, and the fact that it has an extensive Pacific coastline which perfectly tempers the blazing sunshine it experiences all year round. The winds coming off the ocean cool the vines, and the natural valleys and mountainsides which make up most of the state's wine regions make for ideal areas in which to cultivate a variety of high quality grapes.
The long and narrow Central Coast wine region of California stretches for approximately two hundred and fifty miles down the Pacific coastline, and holds hundreds of important Californian wineries who grow a wide array of imported grape varietals. As with the rest of California, the Central Coast region benefits enormously from the hot and sunny climate, which allows the grapes grown there to reach full ripeness and express plenty of big, juicy flavors and rich aromas. Dozens of grapes varietals are grown successfully on the Central Coast, however, classic French varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The region is renowned for its modern and experimental approach to viticulture, and with over 90,000 acres under vine, this is a veritable powerhouse of wine production in one of the most important New World regions on earth.