I'll taste them all so you don't have to!

Saturday, December 25, 2010

La Crema Chardonnay 2008, Sonoma Coast, CA

The first time I tasted La Crema Chardonnay, I was a bit taken aback.  Once a white-only girl, I had been drinking exclusively red for about eight months, and La Crema was the first white I'd had since my switch.  I was at Javier's Cigar Bar in Dallas (a pretty ritzy crowd) with my uber-rich then-boyfriend, and he'd ordered me a glass.  I usually did the La Crema Pinot Noir (which is also very nice) but this particular night I felt like changing it up. The Chardonnay did not disappoint.  Javiers has these huge hand-blown crystal glasses which are really fun to swirl wine around in.  So I did, and the nose on the wine afterwards was pleasant- slightly sweet and crisp, but nothing to write home about.  Pretty standard.  What really surprised me was that this Chardonnay could hold its own in my mouth!  It had some serious body.  The 13.8% alcohol content explains that one.  You could drink this with a rack of lamb; it's got that kind of gravity, while still being refreshing.  Another plus: you can find La Crema just about everywhere.  It's one of the ubiquitous higher end wines at Krogers, Targets, etc.

Technical Info:

Varietal: 100% Chardonnay 
Alcohol: 13.8%
Origin: Sonoma Coast, CA
Price: $15.99 on sale at Target (usually about $20)
Rachel's Grade: B+   This is a fabulous example of a buttery, vanilla-oaky tasting Chardonnay.  La Crema is silky smooth, like Chardonnays should be in my opinion.  It's really easy to drink and will please almost any palate (Mom and I included).  I would give it an A-, but the typical $20 price tag makes it a bit of a splurge.  It's more of a once-a-week, or once-every-couple weeks wine.

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