This wine was quite different from my preferred styles of Chardonnay made in Burgundy or Germany. It was more similar to a white wine from the Rhone Valley in terms of its reduced acidity and flavor profile. Nonetheless, it paired well with a hearty poultry dish.
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Another killer showing. This continues to be a great cost performance chardonnay. Loving the nuttiness, and hints of cheese. This one seemed a bit creamier than the last couple bottles, but still great acidity and sharpness on the finish. I will keep buying them while I can.
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Medium pale white-gold with green tint. Lemon, pear, pineapple, cream, butter, condensed milk, white flowers, oak and minerality. Medium-full bodied, medium-high acidity, medium structure, medium alcohol and long finish with residual sugar. Complex, bold yet restrained.
The finish felt a little sticky, but nonetheless, a fabulous effort from Argentina.
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Not worth the money in my opinion. It’s not clunky but too me a lil over ripe and not made with as much love as u would’ve liked. Good Chardonnay for a California Chardonnay fan. I won’t be buying another unless it’s a gift for someone who likes sweet Chardonnay
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After several bottles of this wine, I want to add to the favorable reviews as it is both well-made and good value. Initially, I thought it might have too much oak but it settled down in the glass to show some decent stone fruit and richness.
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Considering the price level, El Enemigo Chardonnay is a great wine. Very high value for the money. It is well balanced, but still with identity. It has notes of apple, vanilla and little bit of butter.
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On PnP, there is a floral element on the nose and a sweetness on the tongue. Over time in the glass, it becomes a fruit- forward, well balanced wine, with mouth-filling flavor. Very pleasant.
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To be honest, I am disappointed. It is definitely a good wine, but I don’t think it stands up to around 90 points. On the nose, I get surprising unripe characteristics with rhubarb, guava, and gooseberry. There is distant butter and a little bit of nuttiness. Perhaps also faint minerality. On the palate, it’s full bodied and seems a little too high in alcohol. The malolactic conversion is much more evident now than it was on the nose. There is a little peach in addition to the notes from the nose. The finish isn’t very long and the most notable are bitterness and alcohol. 8-/18
As others have mentioned, this has notes of lemon zest, butterscotch, herbs, and bubble gum. Sounds odd, but it is quite delicious. A bit more buttery than the 2019, which came across as austere and mineral-laden but equally delicious in its own way.
Day 2 Still quite delicious. It's even developed a lovely creaminess -the zest has become more of a lemon curd, perhaps.
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Nase mit Zitrus, Bananen und einer Spur Honig und Butternoten/Mandelnoten. Unterlegt mit etwas Mineralik. Konzentriert und sehr sauber. Am Gaumen im Auftakt reife gelbe Frucht gefolgt von cremiger Vanille (leichte Butternoten). Das ganze wird abgeräumt von endlos langem mineralischem Finale. Feuerstein im Nachhall. Durchgehend sehr frische Säure. Sehr komplex und sehr feine Balance zwischen den vielfältigen Noten. Der Wein hat eine tolle Struktur, bei der alle Elemente am Gaumen elegant ineinander übergehen. Sehr gutes Preis-Leistung-Verhältnis.
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Argentinian white wine from Mendoza: Chardonnay. 13,5 % alcohol. Fermented (for 40 days) and aged (for 12 months) in French oak barrels (500 L, 35 % new). Aged under a veil of yeast. Contains 15 % of wines from previous vintages.
Decanted for 1 hour prior to consumption and then stored in decanter during the evening.
Beautiful golden color.
Powerful and ripe aromas of pear, exotic fruit, exotic spices, honey, yogurt, white flowers lemon and minerals. Powerful and fresh flavors of lemon, butterscotch, ripe red apples, honey, black tea, white flowers and minerals.
Dry. Medium+ body. Medium acidity. Okay balance. Okay structure. Some complexity. Powerful.
Long finish with lemon and butterscotch.
An okay and somewhat enjoyable Chardonnay. Air seems to make the wine worse and it performs best when it’s fridge cold. Better on its own than with food (green curry). The mix with previous vintages and the aging under flor contributes to a ripe wine with an appealing flavor profile. I guess that’s the explanation behind the praises from wine critics (90-96 points). Personally I’m not that impressed and I can’t see how aging would improve this wine. For the record I paid 16 $ (USD) for this bottle. 88/100
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Some may hate it, but this is a complex and interesting oaky style of chardonnay and I'm all for it! On the nose, you immediately get butterscotch along with tropical fruits like ripe pineapple and banana along with yellow apples and pear. You also get a toasted nut component most likely from the lees aging. On the palate, it is fat and rich with more tropical fruit and a saline finish with decent acidity for the style.
Admittedly this is not a style that everyone will love. To the ones who love the rich buttery style of chardonnay, you will love it! To the ones who like leaner styles, I would say still try it! It is relatively affordable (I bought this for $19.99) has good acidity for the style and is extremely high quality for that price, even better than most Napa Chardonnays that I've had that are twice the price!
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이 와이너리의 첫 와인. 예전 와인을 처음 접하던 시절 까테나 자파타의 와인에 대한 좋은 기억이 있던터라 궁금해서 사봤다. 기대 이상의 퍼포먼스. 해발 1469m에서 자란 샤도의 매력이 물씬 났다. 섬세한 시트러스와 신선하고 산뜻한 구조감. 얕은 피니쉬에도 불구하고 꽃밭 내음에 취하게 된다. 적절한 오크터치로 떼루아의 표현을 놓치지 않은 듯. 백화점 장터 구매. 가성비 굿.
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This is my second bottle. The first was good but did not live up to the hype. The second bottle does seem to live up to hype. Slightly hazy light yellow color. I see what he is trying here. Ever so slight oak, has a lot of traditional characteristics, dried apricot, lemon, lemon zest, nuts, some hints of cheese, Good acid to age well. Finish is very impressive. 30 second finish with very nice mouth feel. Lemon creme characteristics. It could be a good idea to buy a bunch and sit on them 5 years or so.
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Medium (+) Acidity Medium Alcohol Medium (-) Bodied Medium Finish
Medium (+) Intensity - Green Apple, Lemon, Grapefruit, Butter, Vanilla, Almond, Clove
Buttery, spicy, oaky, fruity, mouth watering acidity but not overwhelming, balanced and intense, an easy drinking, bang on the buck Chardonnay. Drink now.
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Refined, lots of dried apricot, white peach, red apple, vanilla, umeshu, and pie crust aromas, an oaked Chardonnay that hews much closer to Burgundy than California. The texture is fleshy but not overly so, it’s really pretty sophisticated with a nice acidity (that I guess comes from the altitude?), and while it’s a bit too weighty and stonefruity for my taste, it’s exceptionally well put together.
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I like this one a lot. 50% new oak gives it good body, depth, and finish but maintain its freshness. Slight notes of honey, vanilla, etc. with green apple, citrus, zest, and freshness. Good balanced acidity. I think this wine will pair well with a variety of dishes. It will cater to people who like oak, and also for those who prefer less of it. Good QPR and something nice to keep at home, I’m sure it’ll be a crowd-pleaser!
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From the exciting Andes mountain foothills sub region of Gualtallary, Tupungato in Mendoza, Argentina. Elegant wine with interesting winemaking (9 months oak maturation under veil of flor)
Pale to medium gold appearance.
Aromas of apples, croissant, slight saltiness, butter cream icing, and apple pie.
On palate it was dry with medium acid, medium alcohol (13.5%), pleasing med body, med+ intensity, med+ finish. Flavors of fresh green and yellow apples, croissant, slight saltiness, butter cream icing, apple pie, and a hint of honey.
Pleasing mouthfeel with great texture and balance. Restrained, not over the top. Very good quality to price at ~$25.
Very impressive. Paired tonight with a healthy but tasty dinner of broiled salmon belly w/ stir fried veg. But this is versatile and can go with a lot of different food.
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I have to admit I bought this at Costco to just quaff and chill. What a pleasant surprise when I popped the cork. Aromas of Stone fruits and lemon zest with a little bit of funk that I swear was from Burgundy. On the palate it was all apple, pineapple(hint only) and some peachy or tropical notes. I never drank it with food, just enjoyed it over three days by itself on warm summer nights. I will be back to my favorite big box store tomorrow to buy some more!
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Medium bodied with a full-weighted feeling on the palate. I get some starfruit, buttered toast, and a lemon-lime zing.
The oak isn't as greatly integrated as I anticipated. It's a great QPR ($23 at total wine) and a great buy for those who enjoy high oak and butter flavors that somewhat overshadow the fruit.
89 pts for me.
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So elegant, so far this is the best vintage of El Enemigo chardy I ever had. Predominantly stonefruits aromatics, sweet flowers, strawberries. Clean, soft gentle texture, deep finish. Well Balanced. Beautiful, polished & subtly complex palate. Drinking perfectly now.
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Solid QPR. Oaked chard. Light jasmine, stone fruit, lemon zest, smoke and oak (a little too much, but not so bad once you know what you're buying / getting into). Medium body, strong acidity, medium + finish.
Solid wine for the price S$37. Like a "baby" chassagne at 1/3rd of the price. Granted, it's a tad bit overoaked and a little out of balance (for me) but i'm not expecting perfection at this price point. So all in all, a solid wine to have around and happy to buy another case again (if i can get it at the same price lol). Not so easy to find good QPR oaked chards here since the ones we get are the super oaked ones.
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S$100-$150 open theme: The person who brought this sneakily poured this into a Bordeaux bottle, leading everyone to guess a Bordeaux white. Was quite certain this was a new-world though, except I didn’t have a clue what or where - not surprised on revealing, since I have literally zero South American wines. Non-existent acidity, tropical grapefruit notes with greenness. Pass.
This Chardonnay from Mendoza just sparkles. From my first sniff and taste I had flashbacks to the first time I tasted chassagne-montrachet. The aroma bursts out of the glass with pineapple, guava, Meyer lemon zest, and green almond. On the palate the acidity is quenching with enough malic to give it a little bite so this is a good wine for shellfish or otherwise rich seafood, younger cheeses, and cream sauces. Green apple, lightly roasted pineapple, and tangerine zest as it glides across the tongue. Wish it had a bit more concentration and a longer finish to score it higher, but it really is just beautiful as it is. Will enjoy the rest of a case over the next decade and see how it develops, wouldn’t go more than about ten years with its body on the lighter end of full.
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As many of you might know, I rely a fair amount on reviews and scores from the likes of “professional” reviewers. Many of the wines that I purchase are done so without any prior knowledge of the wine EXCEPT what others have had to say about them.
Through the years I have been able to track certain reviewers and their own preferences to make sure their likes and dislikes correspond with mine. Most of the time it’s spot on or close. Today’s post is a tale of 2 very different styles of Chardonnay, hence the title of this post.
The two Chardonnays I’ve pitted against one another are:
El Enemigo Mendoza Chardonnay 2020 Cambria Chardonnay Santa Maria Valley Katherine's Vineyard 2020
Now I could attempt to point out the differences as to how the wines are made, and the terroir they are from, but what really matters is how they taste.
I started out by first drinking the Cambria with the expectation that I would write a separate review for that wine. I hit a small roadblock, however. I found it wasn’t the style of Chardonnay to which I have grown accustomed. Far from a bad wine, it was a tad too oaky and maybe nutty for my tastes, still received a 94 Point review and was the reason for my purchase.
El Enemigo was just beautiful. Balanced flavors of stone fruit, acidity, and minerality; totally Burgundian through and through. Much more in the style to which I have grown accustomed. This wine also received a 94 Point review from the same reviewer that scored the Cambria similarly. For good measure, there was also a 96 Point review from a reviewer I know caters to that French influence. It was an excellent food wine; I had it with Chicken Tostadas with all the fixins.
Just goes to show how different wines can be, yet be thought of as wonderful wines in their own right. Something that many wine drinkers already know, and for this writer to use as a means to tell the tale of two Chards!
Cheers
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This wine is excellent and drink way beyond its price!
Medium yellow/gold color.
Aromas of yellow apple, peach, apricot, bell pepper, pineapple, caramel, toffee, hazelnut, and chalk.
Medium bodied, medium acidity and delightful minerality. A long finish and excellent balance. In a blind tasting this could easily pass for burgundy from a warm year in Corton or Montrachet.
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5/5/2024 - Mark van Delft Likes this wine: 91 Points
Burgundy like Argentinian Chardonnay: white peach, stone, butter, tropical fruit, pineapple, medium round, creamy white fruit finish.
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5/1/2024 - G.O. wrote: 89 Points
This wine was quite different from my preferred styles of Chardonnay made in Burgundy or Germany. It was more similar to a white wine from the Rhone Valley in terms of its reduced acidity and flavor profile. Nonetheless, it paired well with a hearty poultry dish.
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4/7/2024 - RickyT12 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Another killer showing. This continues to be a great cost performance chardonnay. Loving the nuttiness, and hints of cheese. This one seemed a bit creamier than the last couple bottles, but still great acidity and sharpness on the finish. I will keep buying them while I can.
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4/6/2024 - 로엔 wrote: 70 Points
시간이 꽤 지나 기억이 잘 안남
가성비 좋으며 다음날은 지지. 뽕따로 먹어야됨
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3/13/2024 - GuanYu Likes this wine: 88 Points
Medium pale white-gold with green tint. Lemon, pear, pineapple, cream, butter, condensed milk, white flowers, oak and minerality. Medium-full bodied, medium-high acidity, medium structure, medium alcohol and long finish with residual sugar. Complex, bold yet restrained.
The finish felt a little sticky, but nonetheless, a fabulous effort from Argentina.
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2/12/2024 - Mark Burnett wrote:
Pale yellow in the glass with medium viscosity.
Medium plus intense aromas of ripe apple, lemon curd, lime zest, stony minerality, hints of yogurt and the slightest vanilla note in the background.
Flavors follow the nose with a lovely, long finish.
Mouthfeel is dry, medium plus bodied with medium plus acidity. Well structured and balanced.
These are high altitude grapes (4800’) aged under flor for 9 months in 30% new French oak.
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1/25/2024 - tjtrot Likes this wine: 88 Points
pleasant medium bodied, apricot, peach, unsavory and short finish did not warrant a score approaching 90 IMO
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1/5/2024 - Raywilliams420 wrote: 88 Points
Not worth the money in my opinion. It’s not clunky but too me a lil over ripe and not made with as much love as u would’ve liked. Good Chardonnay for a California Chardonnay fan. I won’t be buying another unless it’s a gift for someone who likes sweet Chardonnay
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1/2/2024 - Dozhdbog Likes this wine: 93 Points
My prior note applies. Fresh, luscious, and crisp.
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12/31/2023 - burlingtonm Likes this wine: 90 Points
After several bottles of this wine, I want to add to the favorable reviews as it is both well-made and good value. Initially, I thought it might have too much oak but it settled down in the glass to show some decent stone fruit and richness.
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12/28/2023 - Jakob Westphal de Fries Likes this wine: 90 Points
Considering the price level, El Enemigo Chardonnay is a great wine. Very high value for the money.
It is well balanced, but still with identity. It has notes of apple, vanilla and little bit of butter.
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12/23/2023 - winejnky Likes this wine: 91 Points
Fresh, with ripe pineapple, pear and almond overtones, wrapped with lighter acidity. Nice linger to the cream finish. Susan is a fan.
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12/22/2023 - Spth115 Likes this wine: 93 Points
So good, delicious medium body light and smooth!
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12/21/2023 - Oberhau Likes this wine: 90 Points
On PnP, there is a floral element on the nose and a sweetness on the tongue. Over time in the glass, it becomes a fruit- forward, well balanced wine, with mouth-filling flavor. Very pleasant.
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12/19/2023 - Spth115 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Awesome
Smooth, medium body, lovely!
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12/19/2023 - brooklynJ&O wrote: 89 Points
after reading reviews, I thought I would love it or dislike it. Right in the middle. Pleasant but not that distinctive. Tasty but unremarkable.
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12/19/2023 - AD_jutant wrote: 85 Points
To be honest, I am disappointed. It is definitely a good wine, but I don’t think it stands up to around 90 points.
On the nose, I get surprising unripe characteristics with rhubarb, guava, and gooseberry. There is distant butter and a little bit of nuttiness. Perhaps also faint minerality.
On the palate, it’s full bodied and seems a little too high in alcohol. The malolactic conversion is much more evident now than it was on the nose. There is a little peach in addition to the notes from the nose.
The finish isn’t very long and the most notable are bitterness and alcohol.
8-/18
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12/14/2023 - Dozhdbog Likes this wine: 91 Points
As others have mentioned, this has notes of lemon zest, butterscotch, herbs, and bubble gum.
Sounds odd, but it is quite delicious. A bit more buttery than the 2019, which came across as austere and mineral-laden but equally delicious in its own way.
Day 2
Still quite delicious. It's even developed a lovely creaminess -the zest has become more of a lemon curd, perhaps.
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12/8/2023 - P.L.A. Likes this wine: 94 Points
Nase mit Zitrus, Bananen und einer Spur Honig und Butternoten/Mandelnoten. Unterlegt mit etwas Mineralik. Konzentriert und sehr sauber.
Am Gaumen im Auftakt reife gelbe Frucht gefolgt von cremiger Vanille (leichte Butternoten). Das ganze wird abgeräumt von endlos langem mineralischem Finale. Feuerstein im Nachhall. Durchgehend sehr frische Säure. Sehr komplex und sehr feine Balance zwischen den vielfältigen Noten.
Der Wein hat eine tolle Struktur, bei der alle Elemente am Gaumen elegant ineinander übergehen.
Sehr gutes Preis-Leistung-Verhältnis.
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12/8/2023 - Thegreen1985 wrote: 88 Points
Argentinian white wine from Mendoza: Chardonnay. 13,5 % alcohol. Fermented (for 40 days) and aged (for 12 months) in French oak barrels (500 L, 35 % new). Aged under a veil of yeast. Contains 15 % of wines from previous vintages.
Decanted for 1 hour prior to consumption and then stored in decanter during the evening.
Beautiful golden color.
Powerful and ripe aromas of pear, exotic fruit, exotic spices, honey, yogurt, white flowers lemon and minerals. Powerful and fresh flavors of lemon, butterscotch, ripe red apples, honey, black tea, white flowers and minerals.
Dry. Medium+ body. Medium acidity. Okay balance. Okay structure. Some complexity. Powerful.
Long finish with lemon and butterscotch.
An okay and somewhat enjoyable Chardonnay. Air seems to make the wine worse and it performs best when it’s fridge cold. Better on its own than with food (green curry). The mix with previous vintages and the aging under flor contributes to a ripe wine with an appealing flavor profile. I guess that’s the explanation behind the praises from wine critics (90-96 points). Personally I’m not that impressed and I can’t see how aging would improve this wine. For the record I paid 16 $ (USD) for this bottle. 88/100
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12/4/2023 - CorksAndCrowns Likes this wine: 93 Points
Some may hate it, but this is a complex and interesting oaky style of chardonnay and I'm all for it! On the nose, you immediately get butterscotch along with tropical fruits like ripe pineapple and banana along with yellow apples and pear. You also get a toasted nut component most likely from the lees aging. On the palate, it is fat and rich with more tropical fruit and a saline finish with decent acidity for the style.
Admittedly this is not a style that everyone will love. To the ones who love the rich buttery style of chardonnay, you will love it! To the ones who like leaner styles, I would say still try it! It is relatively affordable (I bought this for $19.99) has good acidity for the style and is extremely high quality for that price, even better than most Napa Chardonnays that I've had that are twice the price!
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11/20/2023 - nobluda Likes this wine: 91 Points
이 와이너리의 첫 와인. 예전 와인을 처음 접하던 시절 까테나 자파타의 와인에 대한 좋은 기억이 있던터라 궁금해서 사봤다. 기대 이상의 퍼포먼스. 해발 1469m에서 자란 샤도의 매력이 물씬 났다. 섬세한 시트러스와 신선하고 산뜻한 구조감. 얕은 피니쉬에도 불구하고 꽃밭 내음에 취하게 된다. 적절한 오크터치로 떼루아의 표현을 놓치지 않은 듯. 백화점 장터 구매. 가성비 굿.
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11/6/2023 - RickyT12 Likes this wine: 92 Points
This is my second bottle. The first was good but did not live up to the hype.
The second bottle does seem to live up to hype. Slightly hazy light yellow color. I see what he is trying here. Ever so slight oak, has a lot of traditional characteristics, dried apricot, lemon, lemon zest, nuts, some hints of cheese, Good acid to age well. Finish is very impressive. 30 second finish with very nice mouth feel. Lemon creme characteristics. It could be a good idea to buy a bunch and sit on them 5 years or so.
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11/5/2023 - Kevin Mak Likes this wine: 90 Points
Pale Lemon
Medium (+) Acidity
Medium Alcohol
Medium (-) Bodied
Medium Finish
Medium (+) Intensity
- Green Apple, Lemon, Grapefruit, Butter, Vanilla, Almond, Clove
Buttery, spicy, oaky, fruity, mouth watering acidity but not overwhelming, balanced and intense, an easy drinking, bang on the buck Chardonnay. Drink now.
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10/27/2023 - Sebastian80 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Overall nice. A bit more tropical notes than the burgundy version. Would have hoped for more intensity, but well balanced.
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10/17/2023 - BGK810 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Rich pear, apple, nice oak influence. Great QPR.
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10/15/2023 - andrewfowler Likes this wine: 89 Points
Refined, lots of dried apricot, white peach, red apple, vanilla, umeshu, and pie crust aromas, an oaked Chardonnay that hews much closer to Burgundy than California. The texture is fleshy but not overly so, it’s really pretty sophisticated with a nice acidity (that I guess comes from the altitude?), and while it’s a bit too weighty and stonefruity for my taste, it’s exceptionally well put together.
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10/7/2023 - crumblemore Likes this wine: 90 Points
I like this one a lot. 50% new oak gives it good body, depth, and finish but maintain its freshness. Slight notes of honey, vanilla, etc. with green apple, citrus, zest, and freshness. Good balanced acidity. I think this wine will pair well with a variety of dishes. It will cater to people who like oak, and also for those who prefer less of it. Good QPR and something nice to keep at home, I’m sure it’ll be a crowd-pleaser!
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9/22/2023 - Mondarin Likes this wine: 92 Points
From the exciting Andes mountain foothills sub region of Gualtallary, Tupungato in Mendoza, Argentina. Elegant wine with interesting winemaking (9 months oak maturation under veil of flor)
Pale to medium gold appearance.
Aromas of apples, croissant, slight saltiness, butter cream icing, and apple pie.
On palate it was dry with medium acid, medium alcohol (13.5%), pleasing med body, med+ intensity, med+ finish. Flavors of fresh green and yellow apples, croissant, slight saltiness, butter cream icing, apple pie, and a hint of honey.
Pleasing mouthfeel with great texture and balance. Restrained, not over the top. Very good quality to price at ~$25.
Very impressive. Paired tonight with a healthy but tasty dinner of broiled salmon belly w/ stir fried veg. But this is versatile and can go with a lot of different food.
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9/13/2023 - henrijanssen wrote: 91 Points
boter vanille citrus peer topper
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9/2/2023 - Spth115 wrote: 93 Points
Still excellent !
This one is a winner from Mendoza !
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8/31/2023 - Spth115 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Becoming on of my favorite Mendoza Chardonnay’s!
Medium body and very smooth from start to finish !
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8/28/2023 - ElAzul Likes this wine: 90 Points
I have to admit I bought this at Costco to just quaff and chill. What a pleasant surprise when I popped the cork. Aromas of Stone fruits and lemon zest with a little bit of funk that I swear was from Burgundy. On the palate it was all apple, pineapple(hint only) and some peachy or tropical notes. I never drank it with food, just enjoyed it over three days by itself on warm summer nights. I will be back to my favorite big box store tomorrow to buy some more!
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8/21/2023 - Spth115 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Wow! This is an excellent full body Chardonnay from Mendoza that has a very smooth finish (not over oak bitter finish)!
I like it!
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8/13/2023 - sdwineguru Likes this wine: 89 Points
Value Mendoza, Argentina, 2020 El Enemigo Chardonnay ($23). Mid-dark gold; viscous (13.5 alc.); tropical, peach, wine lees nose; mid+ acids; mid+ body; fatter style; long semi-hot finish. w/BBQ chicken. 15.5 UC Davis scale, 89 other scales.
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5/26/2023 - biggkahuna wrote: 89 Points
Medium gold in the glass.
Butter, oak, lemon rind on the nose.
Medium bodied with a full-weighted feeling on the palate. I get some starfruit, buttered toast, and a lemon-lime zing.
The oak isn't as greatly integrated as I anticipated. It's a great QPR ($23 at total wine) and a great buy for those who enjoy high oak and butter flavors that somewhat overshadow the fruit.
89 pts for me.
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5/24/2023 - Gemofwine Likes this wine: 96 Points
So elegant, so far this is the best vintage of El Enemigo chardy I ever had.
Predominantly stonefruits aromatics, sweet flowers, strawberries.
Clean, soft gentle texture, deep finish. Well Balanced.
Beautiful, polished & subtly complex palate. Drinking perfectly now.
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5/11/2023 - RyanY Likes this wine: 89 Points
Solid QPR. Oaked chard. Light jasmine, stone fruit, lemon zest, smoke and oak (a little too much, but not so bad once you know what you're buying / getting into). Medium body, strong acidity, medium + finish.
Solid wine for the price S$37. Like a "baby" chassagne at 1/3rd of the price. Granted, it's a tad bit overoaked and a little out of balance (for me) but i'm not expecting perfection at this price point. So all in all, a solid wine to have around and happy to buy another case again (if i can get it at the same price lol). Not so easy to find good QPR oaked chards here since the ones we get are the super oaked ones.
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5/3/2023 - melvinyeowq wrote: 86 Points
S$100-$150 open theme: The person who brought this sneakily poured this into a Bordeaux bottle, leading everyone to guess a Bordeaux white. Was quite certain this was a new-world though, except I didn’t have a clue what or where - not surprised on revealing, since I have literally zero South American wines. Non-existent acidity, tropical grapefruit notes with greenness. Pass.
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4/15/2023 - DanyMorcos Likes this wine: 91 Points
Deeply complex and contemplative ..
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4/11/2023 - puffinscellar Likes this wine: 92 Points
This Chardonnay from Mendoza just sparkles. From my first sniff and taste I had flashbacks to the first time I tasted chassagne-montrachet. The aroma bursts out of the glass with pineapple, guava, Meyer lemon zest, and green almond. On the palate the acidity is quenching with enough malic to give it a little bite so this is a good wine for shellfish or otherwise rich seafood, younger cheeses, and cream sauces. Green apple, lightly roasted pineapple, and tangerine zest as it glides across the tongue. Wish it had a bit more concentration and a longer finish to score it higher, but it really is just beautiful as it is. Will enjoy the rest of a case over the next decade and see how it develops, wouldn’t go more than about ten years with its body on the lighter end of full.
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3/23/2023 - Hi.its.Don.4.Wine Likes this wine: 95 Points
A Tale of Two Chards
As many of you might know, I rely a fair amount on reviews and scores from the likes of “professional” reviewers. Many of the wines that I purchase are done so without any prior knowledge of the wine EXCEPT what others have had to say about them.
Through the years I have been able to track certain reviewers and their own preferences to make sure their likes and dislikes correspond with mine. Most of the time it’s spot on or close. Today’s post is a tale of 2 very different styles of Chardonnay, hence the title of this post.
The two Chardonnays I’ve pitted against one another are:
El Enemigo Mendoza Chardonnay 2020
Cambria Chardonnay Santa Maria Valley Katherine's Vineyard 2020
Now I could attempt to point out the differences as to how the wines are made, and the terroir they are from, but what really matters is how they taste.
I started out by first drinking the Cambria with the expectation that I would write a separate review for that wine. I hit a small roadblock, however. I found it wasn’t the style of Chardonnay to which I have grown accustomed. Far from a bad wine, it was a tad too oaky and maybe nutty for my tastes, still received a 94 Point review and was the reason for my purchase.
El Enemigo was just beautiful. Balanced flavors of stone fruit, acidity, and minerality; totally Burgundian through and through. Much more in the style to which I have grown accustomed. This wine also received a 94 Point review from the same reviewer that scored the Cambria similarly. For good measure, there was also a 96 Point review from a reviewer I know caters to that French influence. It was an excellent food wine; I had it with Chicken Tostadas with all the fixins.
Just goes to show how different wines can be, yet be thought of as wonderful wines in their own right. Something that many wine drinkers already know, and for this writer to use as a means to tell the tale of two Chards!
Cheers
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3/17/2023 - snamnoum@gmail.com Likes this wine: 93 Points
This wine is excellent and drink way beyond its price!
Medium yellow/gold color.
Aromas of yellow apple, peach, apricot, bell pepper, pineapple, caramel, toffee, hazelnut, and chalk.
Medium bodied, medium acidity and delightful minerality. A long finish and excellent balance. In a blind tasting this could easily pass for burgundy from a warm year in Corton or Montrachet.
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2/1/2023 - stoph9457 wrote: flawed
코르크 부서짐.
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