Adventures in Wine > Chardonnay
Chardonnay
Unuarguably the wine world’s most famous white grape variety. Best known as the white grape of Burgundy, Chardonnay has spread its wings around the world from Europe to California and Western Australia. Unfortunately, its ubiquity has meant that many people have become bored by its predictable flavour profile at lower price points. But at its best, great white Burgundy/Chardonnay is unsurpassable.
Buty (and BEAST)
Winery: Buty (and BEAST)
Region: Washington
Sub-region: Walla Walla
Chardonnay
Columbia Rediviva
Merlot/Cabernet Franc
Rediviva of the Stones
Sémillon, Sauvignon & Muscadelle
BEAST Riesling Sphinx
BEAST Red Wildebeest
Buty and BEAST wines are unified by the people who produce them. They both possess an extraordinary texture, structured backbone, focus on lovely fruit, and a balance of approachability and ability to age.
Buty is the first Northwest winery to create focused blends of cabernet sauvignon and syrah. The Rediviva blends marry cabernet sauvignon’s intensity and syrah’s complexity. Rediviva of the Stones favors syrah and is grown in the cobblestones of the ancestral Walla Walla riverbed in the southern part of the Walla Walla Valley. The Rockgarden Estate will become the exclusive source of Rediviva of the Stones, and will be certified organic. Columbia Rediviva is a cabernet sauvignon centric wine and is grown at Phinny Hill Vineyard. Phinny Hill Vineyard is also transitioning to organic status. This fantastic site provides vistas down on to the famous Champoux Vineyard and across the Horse Heaven Hills.
The two Rediviva wines are named for the sloop Captain Robert Gray piloted up the Columbia River in 1792. He hoped the river would prove to be the Northwest Passage, and so bestowed on it the name of his ship, Columbia Rediviva. Prior to this voyage, she was the first American ship to circumnavigate the globe. As the river that connects all of the vineyards we work with at Buty, the Columbia is a lifeline we honor as the namesake of our Columbia Rediviva wine.
BEAST is the irresistible alter-ego. With BEAST there are no rules. Buty creates what they feel compelled to make each year. With BEAST they present new varietals, new vineyards, or showcase an intriguing wine outside of the Buty portfolio. Sometimes a wily BEAST will tantalize you only once, and sometimes it may appear again unexpectedly. Keep a watchful eye out for the annual Halloween release. Some years an unruly BEAST refuses to stay in hibernation past April Fool’s. Be aware. You’ll want to make acquaintance with these exclusive creations before it’s too late.
Categories: Beast, Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay, Columbia, Merlot, Muscadelle, Rediviva, Riesling, Sauvignon, Semillon, Sphinx, Wildebeest
Chateau Routas
Winery: Chateau Routas
Region: Southern France
Sub-region: Provence
Cabernet Sauvignon/Syrah ‘Agrippa’
Grenache/CS/Syrah ‘Infernet’
Syrah ‘Cyrano’
Viognier ‘Coquelicot’
Rosé ‘Rouvière’
Chardonnay/Viognier ‘Wild Boar’
Chateau Routas is located in the heart of Provence, between the French Riviera on the Mediterranean coast and teh foothills of the Alps. It is surrounded by tiny medieval villages that cling to steep cliffs and overlooks miles of spectacular hillsides, woods and rivers.
Categories: Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Grenache, Syrah-Shiraz, Viognier
Jeff Runquist Wines
Winery: Jeff Runquist Wines
Region: California
1448
Barbera R
Cabernet Sauvignon R
Carignane R
Grenache R
Petite Sirah R
Petit Verdot R
Syrah R
Tannat R
Zinfandel Z
Jeff travels throughout California to find just the right grapes for his vineyard designated wines. The winery produces 14 different limited production red varietals. Runquist produces balanced wines that can be enjoyed in their youth, but will also age and become more complex with time. His wines share a theme of fresh fruit reflective of the varietal flavors inherent in the grape.
Categories: Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Syrah-Shiraz, Zinfandel
Laurent Miquel
Winery: Laurent Miquel
Region: Southern France
Sub-region: Languedoc
Chardonnay-Viognier
Syrah Nord Sud
Syrah-Grenache
Viognier Nord Sud
Laurent Miquel, a talented young winemaker, hand selects the best grapes from his family’s estate near Beziers, in the South of France. The Chateau, Caza Viel, is in the St. Chinian appellation. The estate has been in the Miquel family since the French Revolution in 1789, when it was purchased from the local monks at Fontcaude. With over 135 hectares of mature, naturally low-yielding vines, this estate is among the most prominent independent producers in the Languedoc. Laurent crafts these premium wines as a testament to the distinct terroir of the site and to reveal wine with exceptional personality and character.
Categories: Chardonnay, Grenache, Syrah-Shiraz, Viognier
Martin Fierro
Winery: Martin Fierro
Region: Argentina
Sub-region: San Juan
Chardonnay-Torrontes
Malbec
Spectacular wines from a great producer. Unbeatable price.
Categories: Chardonnay, Malbec
Rubus
Winery: Rubus
Region: California
Sub-region: Napa Valley
Cabernet Sauvignon
Chardonnay
Zinfandel
Our supplier regarding the 2007 Rubus Cabernet Sauvignon:
“Since August 2009, I had been hearing from my long time friend Eddie about some fantastic lots of 2007 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon becoming available on the bulk market. Napa Valley vintners and growers are finding themselves in a very odd predicament: they’ve produced their best wines since 1997, possibly the best in 30 years, but thanks to the recession there’s no market for $80.00 – $175.00 per bottle Cabernet Sauvignon. In fact, when I was in Napa two weeks ago, over 100+ wineries were for sale, and 10-20 wineries have been forced into bankruptcy recently. It’s an opportune time to find great wine at reasonable prices.
We begin the tasting with about 4-5 reds: Alexander Valley Cabernets and red blends from the Northern Coast. The wines are good. Next, Eddie brings out a lot from 2007 Stag’s Leap AVA that is finished and bottled but has no home. The wine is fantastic; the quality equivalent to anything from Outpost, Paradigm, or Silver Oak. I inquire as to what’s available, and Eddie informs me that yesterday’s group bought 50% of the lot and the rest is almost entirely pre-sold. I remind him of our long time friendship and agree to pay on short terms – we get 2,000 cases. Given the price and quality, I know that this is a “one off”, and I know I will never be able to replicate this deal. In a good economy, this wine would have sold for just under $200.00 per bottle, but given today’s new economy, it sells for $24.00 per bottle.
Try Napa’s best from a 10-out-of-10 vintage (2007) for a fraction of its original price. I only wish I could have purchased more – I was almost late for the party.”
Categories: Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Zinfandel
Spring Seed
Winery: Spring Seed
Region: Australia
Sub-region: McLaren Vale
Chardonnay Four O’Clock
Spring Seed Wines are made from grapes lovingly grown in a family owned organic vineyard, located in the premium wine region of McLaren Vale, South Australia. The vineyard was established in the early 1970’s by Peter and Anthea Bosworth, and is now owned and run by their son Joch, who began the conversion to organic viticulture in 1995. The vines are fully certified ‘A’ grade organic by Australian Certified Organic, a process that takes four years and involves yearly audits and random sampling of produce.
The Spring Seed Wine labels are unashamedly inspired by vintage flower seed packets created at the turn of the last century. The color, clarity and beauty of the original seed packets are quite remarkable. Three different flower images adorn each one of their wines, simply because they are quite lovely. The Four O’Clock Chardonnay displays the Four O’Clock (Mirabilis jalapa, pictured), Gaillardia (Gaillardia pulchella) and the Brachycome (Iberidifolia).
Categories: Chardonnay
Vale da Mina
Winery: Vale da Mina
Region: Portugal
Sub-region: Vinho Verde
Vinho Verde
Vinho Verde is the celebratory wine of Portugal. The Vale da Mina has very intense aromas of fresh citric fruits, a pale straw color and is very fresh with fine acidity. The persistent flavor is typical of all white wines in this region.
Categories: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc
Viña Tabalí
Winery: Tabalí
Region: Chile
Sub-region: Limarí Valley
Chardonnay Reserva Especial
Sauvignon Blanc Reserva
Viognier Reserva
Pinot Noir Reserva Especial
The winery started its vineyard plantings in 1993 in the exciting and promising Limarí Valley, situated in the northern part of Chile. The Limarí Valley is adjacent to the driest desert on Earth, the Atacama, but temperatures are moderated by the nearby Pacific Ocean. Clear and pure skies; limestone soils; dependable morning fog, hot days and refreshing nights result in an exceptional terroir. The winery exerts complete viticultural control over their 100% handpicked and estate grown fruit and is solar powered, sustainable and uses gravity flow. Tabalí is committed to crafting unique wines with distinct Limarí character.
Categories: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier
Woop Woop
Winery: Woop Woop
Region: Australia
Sub-region: South Australia
Chardonnay
Shiraz
Cabernet Sauvignon
G’day. In Australia Woop Woop means not nearby, remote even. In sourcing fruit from this well-balanced South Australian Shiraz we went ouside our mormal territory to blend the best regional attrtibutes into a soft, elegant wine of rich flavours and good palate length. We went to Woop Woop to bring Woop Woop to you. Enjoy!
Categories: Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Syrah-Shiraz