Peay Chardonnay 2006 Hirsch Vineyard, Sonoma Coast
I know it's chic to turn away from the big phat Chards, but this wine is a winner. Unfined and unfiltered, it's plump and juicy, pushing at the seams with flavor.
Last night was the perfect time for such a wine. I prepared a nice spread of cold plates for dinner: tarragon chicken salad (vinaigrette-style), cold steamed corn salad, fresh mozz and tomatoes with roasted tomato vinaigrette. It was still almost 90 degrees as we ate outside at 8:30. So the wine, maybe a little too cold, stood up to all the different flavors of dinner, but once dinner was done and the kids to their Friday TV time, we were able to hang outside and chat for an hour and savor the wine and stars. Once the wine warmed up slightly, the beautiful butterscotch aromas came out along with the peachy, bread-y scents. With a good acid backbone to counter the healthy dose of plump fruit and long 50% new oak treatment, the wine was in perfect balance.
I had the 2007 Estate Chardonnay at this year's Pinot Days, (Andy Peay snuck me a glass) and it was one of my favorite things of the whole tasting. I went right out and found some in SF (at the SF Wine Trading Co.) and they also had this beauty. Recommended.
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