Favorite Chardonnay

Cheap, easy to find & holds up for 5 years past vintage date?

BOGLE Ca. Char. for a mere 10 lip-smackers

 

I like some of the Bogle pinot noirs. Haven't tried their chardonnay.

I'm not big into Chardonnays, but a friend who is said this was one of the best he'd tried. I love their reds and usually keep a bottle of this around in case someone wants some white or I'm in the mood. http://www.dunhamcellars.com/08mazie

Also a little on the sweeter side I really like Barton & Gustier Vouvray http://www.barton-guestier.com/gb/Our_Wines/AOC_Wines_Gold_Label_Series_12.html They also make a Chardonnay, but I haven't tried it. If the vouvray is any indication though it should be great!

 

La Crema is a nice everyday drinker from Sonoma.

 

We like La Crema also. Last year we discovered Coppola chardonnay and shared it with some friends. Now, the local store cannot keep in stock.
Great tasting Chardonnay- very light.

http://www.franciscoppolawinery.com/

 

That Kistler Chas and I polished off at X Mas was stellar.

 

The Beringer Reserve, at about $30 is usually awesome. Also try Sonoma Cutrer.

George

 

Kistler and Rocchioli are favorites but Paul Hobbs beats them both, IMO.

 

My ex prefered her Chardonnay unoaked & we partook of a fair amount of Kim Crawford's offerings. Perhaps not my favorite, but quite enjoyable.

Me? I like the heavy oak & buttery mouth feel/taste. Don't remember which I greatly prefered, as given my druthers, I stay with a red wine.

 

Ilike La Crema for its buttery finish and modest price.

We drink a lot of Ferrari Carano and Cakebread Chard, too.

 

Try Sbragia. Ridge does a nice Chard. Grgich too.

The problem is chard when passing out recommendations is that there is such a broad range of styles, not bad just different, that one eventually will find a particular profile of preference.

Our favorites are Peter Michael. The Grgich anniversay of the Paris tasting is wonderful. Nothing wrong with a Kistler either.

Cheap chard to drink with leftovers is Bin 65 by Lindemans.

Jeff

 

Having just spent 3 weeks in California i can't believe how expensive the wine is over there compared to Europe and South America, even from the wineries.

Oh and to keep this on topic i refuse to drink Chardonnay, horrid stuff. In fact i didn't enjoy any of the US white wines, but although paying ridiculous prices for it, some of the reds are spectacular.

 

Phil may not go for this since he like big, more oaked and buttery, but a chardonnay that we like a lot is Les Setilles by Olivier LeFlaive from the Burgundy region in France. Price is about $20 in the U.S. plus or minus a couple of bucks.

Very nice balance, not oaky at all but decent finish and still a reasonably substantial wine.

 

La Crema for every day as low as 12.50 at Safeway


if you like the buttery type

J Lohr - Monterey, Cambria- Carneros, Acacia- Napa

for an inexpensive Chardonnay it's hard to beat Toasted Head or Rosenblum





PS Rosenblum has some of the best Zin's in California they make 15-20 different ones

 

+1 for Grgich Hills

 

there are many nice chards and other wines out there that deserve respect... but for the swilling and molesting ( adding soda and / or ice ) crowd that gathers... my criteria for wine is it must come in 1.5 L bottles and retail for about $10...discounted in case quantities... in chards, the Austrailian Lindemans bin 65 and Black Swan has an acceptable chard

 

Laird.
Malcolm

 

Kistler is a great Chard, too pricey for every day consumption...

Having drank Chards for years before I found out the pleasures of Red's some suggestions.

Testarossa - 2009 Diana's Chardonnay - a lot like Rombauer
J Vineyards - have one open now.
Sonoma-Cutrer - lighter, in my opinion
ZD Vineyards - also like Rombauer
La Crema - Already mentioned.
Grgich Hills - Mike Grgich is the guy that won in 1976 when a Chardonnay he crafted for Chateau Montelena beat the France in the blind tasting in Paris.
Au bon Climat - lighter tasting from Santa Barbara Region
Pahlmeyer (tier1 label) and Jason (tier2 label) - BIG, BIG Chards
Shafer - already mentioned.
Cakebread - already mentioned.

Enjoy,

MB

 

chalk hill

 

Here are the tasting notes for Penfolds Thomas Hyland chardonnay I found:

The nose shows white stone fruits & subtle citrus blossom, complimented by integrated, nutty oak.

The palate has a creamy, nougat mid-palate with refreshing, vibrant fruit flavours; grapefruit, fig and melon.

The subtle oak gives structure & complexity.

I will just say great achievement at the price, £10 ish in the UK, not sure how that translates to the US at the moment. It is not too oaky, but has good enough weight to it. Absolutely delicious. Well worth a look.

Cheers!! Mark.

 

I was in Vegas for a week and enjoyed the La Crema Pinot Noir. Very nice for the price.

 

My all time fave is Rombauer.

http://www.rombauer.com/index.cfm?method=storeproducts.showList&productcategoryid=fee9aaf0-f2b5-e75f-eaaf-8b9c74d4d936