2007 Chappellet Vineyard Chardonnay

Well, tonight I needed a white wine to cook with so, I saw this laying in the cellar, as it was leftover from the party we hosted last month for Stefania Wines.  Thankfully, the recipe only called for about a 1/3 of a cup, so that would leave plenty to enjoy with dinner.

Nice golden straw color in the glass, with a nose of green apple and pear.  Minor nuances of passion fruit, and definitely some oak here.   You can also sense the alcohol on the nose, but at almost 15%, this doesn't surprise me one bit.

On the palate, the first thing you notice here is the oak.  Definitely a ton of oak there, and it needs some time to integrate.  While some people enjoy this, it is just a bit overwhelming to me.  Even so, you get some nice citrus on the palate, with some more of the green apple.  The alcohol is there, as well as a bit of buttery-ness, but the oak stick really smacks you in the face here.  I had about two glasses, and vacuumed the remaining glass and a half for the next day.

On day 2, the oak has managed to settle out a bit, but it's still there.  Don't get me wrong, I like oaked chardonnays, but this seems just a bit intrusive to me.  Call me crazy, but as most of our readers know, we really love chardonnay from Kistler, Aubert, Rivers-Marie, Auteur, etc.

I'll refrain from rating this wine, but for those of you who have them in their cellars, who are not big fans of oak, I'd hold for another 2-5 cheers.  If you like the big oaked chards, this should be right up your alley!  Cheers!