Crisp, Clean Chardonnay
You already know how much I love Roche Chardonnay. They make three reserves from their Carneros vineyards, and last time we tried the American Oak. The Stainless Steel provides a look at the unoaked experience, but this one is uses French Oak. While the American Oak imparted a buttery palate and creamy texture, changing to another kind of barrel completely changes the wine.
The nose evokes grapefruit and lemon, a beautiful citrus bouquet. On the palate, the medium body and acidity brings a nice tartness, blending that citrus flavor with a tiny bit of crisp granny smith apple. The medium finish is very clean, letting the tart apple fade out slowly as you relish the experience.
This gorgeous blend of flavors flows from one note to the next seamlessly, allowing for a surprising amount of complexity without confusing the mouth. Citrus and apple are fairly common in Chardonnays, so the uniqueness of this wine comes from how cleanly that French oak aging imparts flavors into the release. Beautiful on its own, this bottle is even better paired with a nice meal, perhaps seafood with citrus flavors. I would never turn down a glass or even an entire bottle!
