Whew! this has been a busy week. Wine Tasting was fun, thanks for coming if you were there. If not and you know where to find my front porch, come on by Wednesday evening 6:15  (because I’m always running late) -7pm. (sorry I can’t post the address).

We started with two chardonnays, but this wine tasting quickly got away from me and we went through quite a few bottles from my collection (my name is Debbee and I hoard wine).

We started with the 2009 Pennywise Chardonnay ($10.99 elsewhere price) and the 2011 Indigo Eyes Chardonnay ($12.99 elsewhere price). I usually like to read the back label for some clues as to what I should be tasting, but the Pennywise label was keeping that a secret! I found on-line that it received 87 points on Cellar Tracker, which is not bad. It’s produced in Napa by ‘The Other Guys’ which is part of the Don Sabastiani Family of companies. I found this wine to be light and not intense. It was a clear pale yellow and smelled mildly fruity. It tastes lightly of oak. A pleasant enough wine. The Indigo Eyes Chardonnay was a little more yellow and tasted of tropical fruits. There was definitely more of an oaky taste. I found it to be very smooth. Both are pretty good for the price ($3.99).

BUT, the winner of the night was definitely the 2008 Stretto Chardonnay from Napa Valley. The label reads: “Stretto’s Chardonnay bears aromas of fresh wildflowers, complimented with sweet hints of honeysuckle, ripe pear, and kiwi. This harmonious Chardonnay exhibits crisp and refreshing flavors with light baking spice overtones on the palate. Aged 10 months in 20% new French Oak Barrels adds a toasty sweetness and extra richness of texture in the mouth. Serve with poultry, cream based dishes and salads. Enjoy!”

I tasted pears and peaches ~which I love~ and the strong oakyness (is that a word?) ~which I could usually do without~ but in this case, I liked it! My niece, Caroline, first found this wine in the store last month. And on my way out she held it up and announced ‘Aunt Debbee, I need to try this one!’. I happened to be on my way home for tasting, so I grabbed it right out of her hand, scanned it and left. Well, nice pickin’ Caroline!

Everybody agreed that the Stretto Chardonnay ($34.99+ elsewhere price) was the best Chardonnay of the many (lol) that we tried (finished). It wasn’t even on the tasting list! It’s been selling pretty good at $5.99 a bottle and there is only about a case left at the store (they made me call from the front porch to the store to find out) So don’t be shy! Get all you want now before someone beats you to it.