An Upscale Napa Valley Chardonnay

An Upscale Napa Valley Chardonnay: An Upscale Napa Valley Chardonnay

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.
Wine Reviewed
Beringer Sbragia Limited-Release Chardonnay 2007 15.1% alcohol about $55

Let’s start by quoting the marketing materials. Tasting Note : Ultrarich and full-bodied, with deep, ripe pear, apple, and spicy hazelnut notes that turn smooth and creamy, gaining depth and focus on the finish. Drink now through 2012. Score – 92 (James Laube at the winespectator website, June 30, 2009). And now for my review.
Beringer vineyards in tasting expensive wines

At the first sips this wine was very subtle and multi-layered with burnt oak. A little went a long, long way. The first meal was a honey and garlic barbecued chicken breast. This Chardonnay tasted of toast. It had light acidity and was very mellow. When accompanying potatoes roasted in chicken fat, the Chardonnay gained strength. It had lots of oak but was by no means oak juice. Actually, as the meal went on I started to resent the wine’s oak. The other side dish was Moroccan style carrots with cumin and sliced green olives. The wine had pleasant acidity but too much oak. With dessert, fresh pineapple slices, the oak was somewhat muted but frankly, there wasn’t much else.

This review of An Upscale Napa Valley Chardonnay continues on my website.