91 2008 Rombauer Chardonnay
Carneros
14.4%% alc.
$32
category: wine reviews »

I’m really liking the “unoaked” Chardonnay trend. There is almost nothing worse than a buttery, almost oily, creamy Chard, especially served too warm. The main reason is another of the wine words: structure. Less oak, to me at least, means more room for tannins—the alcohol and minerals that deliver a nice wine instead of juice.

This Rombauer is a fine example. At 14.4% it brings some heat, but not at the expense of flavor and drinkability. It’s also a little young. Some friends brought this one over for a dinner party. We paired it with endless Chinese food. A nice combo.

Riesling would do well here too. But this Chard added some smoothness, and an inkling of class to the dripping oils, meats and fried sins.

The need to know: on the nose, some nice tropical fruit, with slight vanilla… no Sauvignon Blanc pear overload here thankfully. Perfect amount of acidity and clean finish with some pineapple along, again, with a stroke of vanilla.

So, there you have it: an unconventional food & wine pairing, and a great result.

Clinton Stark
Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, Fan of Napa (and Diet Coke)

Clint co-founded StarkSilverCreek and writes about social media, arts, wine, indie film, and his trusty Droid. An aging ice hockey player, he tries in vain to direct Loni in SSC videos. Originally from Ottawa, Canada, Clint is a Silicon Valley and new media entrepreneur. From the early PC clone days in the 80’s, to the explosion of telecom and networking in the 90’s, and now to social networking, Web 2.0 and software-as-a-service, Clint has successfully built businesses and start-ups into multi-million dollar operations. Recently as VP marketing he spearheaded the launch of a $110M company.

Twitter: @clintonstark More: articles bio

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