Community Tasting Note
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tak4 Likes this wine:
July 13, 2019 - Okay, here we go! We used to drink Rombauer Chardonnay by the case about ten years ago. Since then we've become all wine-woke and, like good AFWE oenophiles, we wouldn't deign to sully our lips with this syrupy, supersaturated fruit elixir. Or would we?
This is the 2018 product, apparently fresh off the vine, stuffed into bottles, and delivered straight to Whole Foods Market.
On visual inspection, this wine is much less concentrated than I remember. It used to be nuclear waste yellow. Now it's more of a pretty lemon color. Very clear, very bright.
On nose, this wine is also different than I remembered it. Yes, memory is fallible, but the scent is so tightly associated with personal history that any difference is noticeable. This is much more restrained than it used to be. Less melon, less caramel. More white fruit, passionfruit, a hint of butterscotch, and some smokiness. Even a bit of dustiness - is Rombauer turning into Chablis?
One sip and it's clear that the answer is no. It's a return to form on the palate. Very full bodied, bold new oak, buttery finish, melon, smoke, vanilla. Pow!
Two glasses of Rombauer before the art opening and that's a good night right there.
At the end of the day, this is actually a pretty okay wine (that's okay, not "oaky", which it also is). It is a great exemplar of a style which I once loved and which I will not admit still liking - no, never, never will I admit such a thing. But it's clearly a deliberately and well-crafted product, and I am appreciating every sip.1 person found this helpful 2,576 views
3 Comments
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Wine G commented:
7/18/19, 2:52 PM - So you are just too "woke" now about your chablis and AFWE preferences for allowing yourself to believe Rombauer is a good drink? Pretty hilarious concept.........
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srh commented:
8/18/19, 12:12 PM - ROTFL! :) Amongst other things: “At the end of the day, this is actually a pretty okay wine (that's okay, not "oaky", which it also is).”
But, even more importantly (to me at least), you give credit where credit is due (IMHO): “…it's clearly a deliberately and well-crafted product…” Moreover, were there NOT a demand for it, we'd NOT be seeing the '18 so RELATIVELY early. While I personally want nothing whatsoever to do with at LEAST the Rombauer entry level wines (& that also generally goes for the Wagner line or ex-line), *HOPEFULLY* my own personal preferences don't PREVENT me from appreciating that such folks do an admirable job of attaining THEIR objectives. ;) -
tak4 commented:
8/31/19, 2:51 PM - @Wine G - I think you misread my tasting note. I am admiring this wine for what it is - a well-crafted consumer product that is actually kind of tasty.
@srh - you get it! I admire what they're doing and I secretly sort of like the wine....