I love this wine. Love love love it. It’s one of the wines that’s usually available at a local supermarket — so when I see it, I snag at least two bottles. You’ll want two bottles of this Chard in your cellar — one to drink casually now, on a random weekday, and one to save for a special date-night dinner. Because in all honesty, with it’s easy drinkability and complexity of flavor, the Wente Riva Ranch Chardonnay is perfect for either occasion.
Oh just another example of me looking for a wine to pair with my meal. Honest-to-goodness, I was looking for a total Cal-oaky Chard, but my partner in wine crime was not in the mood for a buttery indulgence. “I want an oaked wine,” he said, “but I don’t want it to taste oaky.” Sometimes in marriage, you have to compromise, right? Well we found that compromise with Alexander Valley Vineyards 2014 Estate Chardonnay.
I’m surprised I haven’t written a post about Three Arches yet — they’re a small, local winery where I am actually a wine club member. I think the reason I haven’t mentioned them yet is because their wines pack such a punch, I find I really do have to wait and pair them with the perfect meal. This is mostly true of their reds, which includes everything from a classic Cali Cab to their signature Meritage red blend.
But every once in awhile, they release a white and — for me — this is a special treat because, unlike their super-bold, must-be-paired-with-food reds, their whites are friendly, versatile, easily enjoyed on their own or with a meal. And, somehow, they do all that while still packing that punch…
I love Markham Vineyards wine. They have some pretty schmancy stuff that can cost a good dollar (well worth it in my book, though), but then they have stuff for everyday consumers like myself. And, what I like, is that I don’t feel like they skimp on the affordable wines. When I taste a $10 dollar wine from Markham, I still feel like I’m sipping something special. And so it is with Markham’s 2015 Sauvignon Blanc.
After my visit to Bonny Doon’s Davenport tasting room where I got to chat one-on-one with owner and winemaker Randall Grahm — which was both fun and educational — I couldn’t help but go home with, what I thought, was the most outstanding wine of the 12 I tasted that day: 2011 Le Cigare Blanc.
