2010 Val De Salis Chardonnay Pays d’Oc … $9.99
With promise of warmer weather just around the corner I thought it appropriate to pick a white for the month of June. Chardonnay? Good question since chardonnay is still on peoples list of wines to avoid. Happily fewer have that list in their repertoire and more folks are coming back to this wonderful wine. I say wonderful because there is so much diversity in this one varietal, anything from a big, oak driven butterball style to a bracing, mineral driven steel fermented style and everything in between. This chardonnay from France falls in the “between” category.
Val De Salis is a family owned winery located in Southern France in the Languedoc region. It is a Vin d’Oc which means it is not distinguished by an appellation and the grapes can be sourced from anywhere in the Longuedoc- Roussillon region. Some thumb their nose at wines from France that actually have the grape varietal on the label, but there is no need to thumb your nose at this baby.
A nose of ripe Green Delicious apples, pear and hints of white flowers and spice. On the palate there is a nice mineral quality about this chardonnay with wonderful notes of pineapple, pear and green apples that dance across your palate with a tease of apple pie spice. Not complex, but has a nice flow across the palate into a medium length finish. This is a delicious chardonnay that has enough interesting flavors in it to match up with a variety of foods including seafood, shellfish or poultry. It is also a great solo white and would be wonderful out on the deck on a warm spring/summer evening or while reading a book with a bowl of popcorn, and the price is crazy for the quality. 88 points Cheers! Stan The Wine Man
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