The Wine Experience

Wine of the Week!
Beringer 2006 Napa Valley Chardonnay   $15    

OK!  Here it is… a wine of the week from one of the most famous names in California: Beringer. 

If you haven’t tried it lately, pick up a bottle of the Beringer 2006 Napa Valley Chardonnay. Sometimes you find it’s too easy to overlook the most familiar names, which is why we sought out this wine. 

And what a good idea!  This is a terrific Chardonnay.  Pop the cork and you get aromas of the tropics.  Take a sip and it’s like biting into a ripe fall apple fresh from the tree.  And is has balanced and nuanced flavor without the heavy oakiness or too much of that big buttery quality common to many California Chards. 

Dare we say it? This is much more French in style.  And it’s an elegant wine you can bring to the table anytime, especially since it’s only about fifteen dollars a bottle. 

Beringer 2006 Napa Valley Chardonnay is our wine of the week...

Pop the Cork™.

Wine on the Radio – October 10, 2008

Winemaker's Notes and Comments:

"We are using a mix of barrel and steel fermentation (a longer, cooler fermentation) to highlight the different characteristics we get from our four Chardonnay vineyards, and the 2006 vintage is an exciting example of this exploration featuring almost half of the blend fermented in steel tanks. Lemon zest, apple, pear, vanilla and toasty spice aromas carry into the flavors with a refreshing tanginess and a bright fruit finish.” – Laurie Hook, Winemaker

Winemaking
When making the 2006 Napa Valley Chardonnay, Laurie kept each lot separate and used several different techniques to retain the bright fruitiness in the wine while also adding richness and complexity. After the grapes were gently destemmed and crushed, slightly more than half of the juice was fermented and aged for 8 months in French oak barrels to enhance its natural richness and roundness, but she chose to use one quarter new barrels and limited battonage significantly so aroma and flavor components from the oak and yeast lees would not be overpowering. The remaining juice was stainless steel fermented to retain more of the pure fruit character. Additionally, to maintain a balancing crispness in the wine, Laurie chose only 20% of the wine to undergo malolactic fermentation.

When you read our thoughts, please remember that you may think differently.  A particular wine may be your favorite and not on our list.  Well, don't stop buying it because of that.  In fact, you may want to email us and let us know about it. These are our opinions but our FIRST recommendation is to go by your own palate.

A couple of other thoughts . . . first, prices are approximate.  They'll vary.  Second, different vintages mean different grapes and different tastes so our recommendation for a 2000 Merlot may not hold for 2001.

And lastly, we remind you to drink responsibly!  Now, all that said, here is a summary of links to our suggestions.  Find one (or more) and pop the cork!

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