IT'S ALL IN THE DETAILS

There are few white wine grape varietals as famous or widely appreciated as the Chardonnay, and with good reason. This highly flexible and adaptable grape quickly became a favorite of wineries due to its fairly neutral character. This neutrality allows the wineries to really show off what they are capable of doing, by allowing features of their terroir or aging process to come forward in the bottle. As well as this, most high quality wineries which produce Chardonnay wines take great efforts to induce what is known as malolactic fermentation, which is the conversion of tart malic acids in the grapes to creamy, buttery lactic acids associated with fine Chardonnay. Tasting: Pale yellow in color, this wine is aromatic and fresh with high acidity. Expect a nose of ripe lemon, white nectarine, and honeysuckle. The flavors are complex and full: soft tropical fruit, leads into peaches on a flinty mid-palate, finishing strong with a high toned lemon, Chablis-style acidity.Food Pairing: A full-flavored Chardonnay like this is good with richer cuisine, such as eggs benedict, steak béarnaise, grilled veal chops with mushrooms, and late summer vegetables such as red peppers, corn, butternut squash and pumpkin (pumpkin ravioli is one of our favorites with this). Don't forget the cheese and foie gras.