It’s a Chardonnay I didn’t expect much from honestly. I opened it on a day when I was home alone thinking nothing special for a day that’s not special when I, myself, wasn’t feeling particularly special. But it’s those days that you wake up thinking everything is ordinary that something will strike you as extraordinary. So to, will the surprisingly nuanced Scott Family Estate Chardonnay.
I feel like this is a name I’ve seen around the stores for quite some time, but never actually grabbed a bottle. Maybe it’s because I’ve seen it so much, I just assumed it would be generic and unfulfilling. You’d think by now I’d learn never to assume anything when it comes to wine. Anyway, long story short, it was my partner in wine crime (who appears as a ghostly reflection if you peer into the bottle in the photo below) that picked this bottle out — kind of on a whim. Well, whim and assumptions aside, we were in for quite a treat when we popped the cork on this Mer Soliel Reseve Chardonnay.
Sitting at home with the heater on, fireplace blazing, curled up in a comfy quilt while listening to rain patter against the window — it’s the perfect scene for a heart warming glass of Pinot Noir. The kind that enlivens you with its earthy aromas; envelopes you in its smooth, silky texture; and kisses you softly with the plush, subtle finish of over-ripe bush berries. The experience itself is like being wrapped in a warm blanket.
It’s an experience that Pinot lovers appreciate as an endulgence because not every bottle will gift it and, in fact, not every wine drinking moment calls for it. But when it’s what you want, it’s what you need — and there’s nothing like satisfying that craving.
There’s a reason that Testarossa sets my Pinot Noir bar — more specifically, Testarossa Gary’s Vineyard Pinot Noir. Because with each vintage it continuously delivers that undeniable — inescapable — heart-warming and utterly indulgent Pinot Noir experience.
After my mixed review of Apothic Inferno — a red blend aged 10 months in whiskey barrels, I became curious about this concept. I know it’s nothing new, per se, but it’s a something I don’t have a lot of tasting experience in. Knowing that there are a few, shall we say, well-established wine producers dabbling in this art, I thought I’d give it another go. And you can’t argue that Robert Mondavi is one of the most well-established California wineries to date.
So hold on to your horses, cowboys, Briscoe’s going Bourbon Barrel bobbing…
Is it wrong to be scared of a wine? Because I totally was when I walked out of the store with Wente Riverbank Riesling. But, like my partner in wine crime said, “If you’re going to take a chance, it might as well be with a Wente.”
I’m not a fan of sweet wines, sweet-ish wines, or wines that are close neighbors with the word sweet. But I had a dish in mind — a spicy dish — and new in my heart of hearts a Riesling would be my answer. Up until this post, there was only ever one Riesling that I officially enjoyed (Kung Fu Girl) because most other are just so cloyingly sweet. Now, to be fare, this is based on grocery store available Rieslings and (maybe) sweet wines are popular. So there I was, Kung Fu Girl in one hand, Wente Riverbank Riesling in the other — and I opted for the devil I didn’t know…
