VinVillage

Wine: Cougar 2009 Chardonnay
Appellation: Temecula Valley
Alc.: 11.5%
Haydn gives this wine: 88pts
Price: $20
You can buy this wine: at cougarvineyards.com

The California landscape is dotted with more Chardonnays than CHP cars. It seems that one can toss a dart onto a wine map and inevitably find a Chardonnay-producing winery. The flavor notes are as scattered on the wine wheel as the grapes are in any particular AVA (wine region). Stainless steel, new French oak, used French oak, Hungarian oak (ok, for the record I’ve yet to see a Chardonnay touch Hungarian Oak, but I just never know), a mixture of oak and steel, and on and on the list continues. There’s the ABC club, or anything but Chardonnay, and the Le Crema fan club (one of the more oakey Chards).

Then we have the 2009 Cougar Chardonnay from Temecula. With colors that resemble a Savignon Blanc and an alcohol percentage that is unheard of in California (11.5%) in the Chardonnay world, this wine is way off the charted characteristics of what and how a Chardonnay should behave and act.

With this Chardonnay, you’re going to get hints of tropical fruits, going all the way into the guava and coconut arena. If by now you’re saying that’s madness, well, you’re partially right. Thankfully the wine rebounds with additions of Chardonnay characteristics with a little bit of acidity mixed in with a few bartlett pears. The secret to the notes of this Chardonnay is in the way it is produced—the wine never touched an oak barrel, new or used, at all.

The 2009 Cougar Chardonnay is a great wine pre-dinner. The low alcohol is a pleasant welcome to the Chardonnay arena, which means you can enjoy a glass or two and still follow your dinner recipe if need be. The lightness of alcohol makes this wine rub elbows with the Riesling world, in terms of an un-heavy wine when it hits the mid-palate.

For food, the lighter the better. Being a distant 5th cousin to Riesling, the Chardonnay here could possibly be paired with a non-spicy Thai dish (it’s not potent enough to remove the spice from your mouth) or maybe crab cakes.

For a new take on an old California standard, have a look, and a taste of the Cougar 2009 Chardonnay from Temecula Valley. At $20, it’s well look a few looks, um, tastes.

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Haydn Adams is the author of the book, Wineries Beyond Napa Valley: Dry Creek and Alexander Valley, an insider’s tasting guide to the hidden gems region. He also contributes to the Beyond Napa Valley Wine Blog, writes for vinvillage.com, and can be found roaming the hills of Sonoma County looking for the next hidden gems. You can contact him at haydn@beyondnapavalley.com

With the end of the year drawing ever so closer with every tick of the second hand, I felt it was appropriate to list my personal list of the top 10 wines of the year. These wines did not always score the highest, and I am sure Robert Parker’s list would look considerably different than mine. However, they each wine has a reason for being on the list.

Happy New Year, and enjoy,
Haydn Adams

Wine #10: m2 Zinfandel
$35 | m2wines.com

It has been rated as one of the top 12 Lodi wines of 2009, and I have to agree. Lodi is a strong player in the Zinfandel world, and while Lodi zins cannot can’t compare to those of the Zin capital of the world, Dry Creek, m2 Zinfandel is a very close runner-up and one of the best to come out of Lodi.

Wine #9: Meeker 2007 Carignane (Alexander Valley)
$26 | meekerwine.com

A beautiful, and often overlooked varietal.

Wine #8: Montemaggiore Syrah (Paolo’s Vineyard, Dry Creek)
$35 | montemaggiore.com

A gorgeous (non-Zinfandel) wine to come out of Dry Creek. Biodynamically farmed, this Syrah has a little hint of pepper and plum, and an overall balanced finish.

Wine #7: J Cuvée 20
$20 | jwine.com/

Can sparkling wine really age well? If you would have asked me that last December, I would have scoffed off the answer, period. But the J Cuvée has changed my thinking. This base sparkling of J’s has grown up over the past year and has become a formidable contender in the sparkling wine arena. A great price for a great sparkling.

Wine #6: Quivira Grenache (Dry Creek Valley)
$26 | quivirawine.com/

Ahh the Grenache. It’s one of my favorite varietals. Quivira makes a beautiful 100% Grenache, which is no easy feat since this grape is one of the subtlest around.

Wine #5: Rippon Vineyards Pinot Noir (New Zealand)
Price N/A | www.rippon.co.nz/

The southern region of New Zealand is the new hot spot for Pinots and Rippon Vineyards is leading the charge. This Pinot is a textbook example of the excellent Pinots currently being produced in the Central Otago region. Unfortunately, I have recently been having a hard time tracking down where I can get this one, which is why it didn’t rank higher on the list.

Wine #4: Tandem Pinot Noir (Sangiacomo Vineyards)
Price N/A | tandemwinery.com/

This is one of my favorite Russian River Pinot Noirs. It is a bit spicy (standard for a Russian River Pinot), but in a near-perfect amount. Beautiful.

Wine #3: 2008 Cakebread Chardonnay (Napa Valley, Rutherford)
$37 | cakebread.com

Another fantastic showing from Cakebread. The secret to this wine? Nearly 70% of the wine is aged in neutral oak so the butterball effect is gone leaving behind beautiful notes of pear, and a bit of cantaloupe / honeydew.

Wine #2: William Harrison Cabernet Franc (Napa Valley, Rutherford)
$45 | whwines.com

William Harrison, an excellent winery located near Rutherford in the Napa Valley, has delivered a near spotless Cabernet Franc.  This wine is simply gorgeous and well worth a try.

Wine #1: Archipel (by Vérité) (Alexander Valley)
$45 | archipelwines.com

Archipel has been and remains my favorite wine. I find the “California Bordeaux” to be a near perfect pair with my particular preferences for this style of Bordeaux.

 
Cheers,
Haydn
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Haydn Adams is the author of the book, Wineries Beyond Napa Valley: Dry Creek and Alexander Valley, an insider’s tasting guide to the hidden gems region. He also contributes to the Beyond Napa Valley Wine Blog, writes for vinvillage.com, and can be found roaming the hills of Sonoma County looking for the next hidden gems. You can contact him at haydn@beyondnapavalley.com

 2008 Napa Valley Chardonnay

Appellation: Napa Valley
Price: $37
ALC: 14.5%
Haydn gives this wine: 93pts
You can buy this wine at: cakebread.com

A staple in the Napa Valley, Cakebread recently released a new Chardonnay into their wine portfolio. The2008 Napa Valley Chardonnay (they also make anAnderson Valley Chardonnay) was recently bottled and is now available to the world.

The beauquet on this wine is beautiful. I’m delighted that the acidity is a bit higher than what you’d normally expect out of a California (let alone a Napa Valley) Chardonnay. The butter bandit, if he is there, is hiding out on the nose. My initial thought when I took a quick whiff was apples and pears, with a little butter, but not much at all. I imagine this well-balanced nose is due to the nearly 10% of the wine going through a stainless steel fermentation.

The mid-palate displays the typical butterness sensation, but without the characteristic oakiness. The butter is still very mild and melts easily on your tongue. A slight amount of tannins, however they are very very weak. This is partially due to the fact that Cakebread ran the wine through both neutral & new french oak. The oak is needed, but it’s not over the top.

If you’re looking for a great Chardonnay to have before dinner or with a good friend, this wine is for you. You can easily drink this solo, or with food. Closing my eyes, I could see a Fettuccine Alfredo, or any other dish with a cream sauce; possibly cooked oysters with a clam sauce. The small amount of acidity is what works with the thicker sauces.

This wine could use a little more time to lay down. The small amount of tannins present will dissipate in about 6-8 months I’m guesstimating. However, the wine is still ready to drink now.

Enjoy,
Haydn

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Haydn Adams is the author of the book, Wineries Beyond Napa Valley: Dry Creek and Alexander Valley, an insider’s tasting guide to the hidden gems region. He also contributes to the Beyond Napa Valley Wine Blog, writes for vinvillage.com, and can be found roaming the hills of Sonoma County looking for the next hidden gems. You can contact him at haydn@beyondnapavalley.com

Newton is well-known for their unfiltered approach to winemaking. This has led to icon status for the Unfiltered Chardonnay and their Unfiltered Merlot.

We had an opportunity to explore the wines in depth on Friday at my Napa Appellations class at the Santa Rosa Junior College. Follow this link to read the entire story.  Cheers!