California Chardonnay Tasting

California Chardonnay Tasting – Episode #224

April 25, 2007

Wines tasted in this episode:

Gary Vaynerchuk checks out for $20 Plus California Chardonnay’s. Sit back and enjoy WLTV, cause heck that’s why it is here!

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197 Responses

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November 17, 2009

John J.
qotd wow tough question. thats impossible to pick 1, or even 10. Most recently, I really enjoyed the petrol character in this 96 german riesling I had last night.

Gary, how about putting a vin jaune on the show for something new?
June 18, 2009

Phredd
Great episode. Nice to expand palates, but nice to hit the center from time to time, as well.

QOTD: For white, I like apricot. Especially in dessert white, but I also like when chardonnay or dry riesling has an apricot component, as well. For red, I don’t know that there’s only one. If I had to pick a single flavor component, I guess I’d go with vanilla. Not because I particularly like the flavor by iteself, but because it is one sign of a big red wine that has aged. I am much less a fan of astringent, biting wines, and vanilla always seems to be present in one form or another in wines that have had the time to mellow out.
June 30, 2008

Dessert Wine Nerd
Gary – Another great episode as always. I love the nerd-factor and humor you bring time and time again. I could see you actually wrting like this if you ran a magazine. Nice notes on the Sleepy Holly, too. I will have to remember to check them out arund here and see what I can dig up. Love the Duggan references. He was always fun to watch even if he didnt have a lot of techincal skill or a good finishing move… Yes, I am calling out the clothesline! QOTD: Well being new to wines and of course going the sweet route to start with, I think I would have to go with peaches.
April 14, 2008

Grif
My favority wine flavor? That’s easy. Oak!! I like the oaky reds. Back in the 1990’s I went shopping for my favorite reds from Sonoma and discovered that the prices were higher than I expected. The store people talked me into trying Chile and Australia. I wasn’t familure with the concept of “fruit bomb” I just concluded that there was something desparately wrong with this wine and actually went off wine for about a decade. With your help I’m starting to figure out what I like and I even had a fruit bomb that I liked after 24 hours of breathing. It strikes me as odd that you put oak and fruity in the same category “new world”. They’re opposites on my liking scale. I’m watch the shows from episode one forward. I’m half way to the present.
May 31, 2007

Erik
Enjoyed watching the Cali. Chardonnay tastings.

QOTD – My favorite flavor in wines is blackcurrent; when a red wine manages to capture the truly recognizable flavor of blackcurrents I know I’m going to have a great tasting experience!

In white wines I’ve recently been enjoying many of the flavors that the New Zealand Sauv. Blancs bring to the table (lemon-lime spritzer, gooseberry).
May 6, 2007

Lawrence Leichtman
I like a mixed berry taste. Blackberry, blueberry, strawberry and even cherry in reds.
Citrus does it for me in whites.
May 1, 2007

Harmony
Wow 2 wrestling comments in one episode. You are a complete and total weirdo. Thank you.
April 29, 2007

aaronT
qotd: gonna answer in the context of whites since you’re feelin that flava with summer coming… favorite flavor profile in a wine is sunflower seeds! Get that fantastic salty nutty aftertaste from some of my favorite Chardonnays (Esterlina, for example).
April 28, 2007

JayZee
Intriguing episode. I am rarely impressed with Cali Chards, but the Passagno sounds good to me – I’ll have to give it a whirl.

QOTD: I’d have to go with licorice in a red wine.
April 27, 2007

John
Hey Gary
This past November we hit Landmark while we were in Sonoma and tasted the 2004 Overlook. Megan (my wife) and I enjoyed it, (notes: lot of granny smith apple on the nose as well as citrus fruit, not too much oak, great toasted notes on the palate)
We didn’t purchase this we went with the Damaris reserve Chardonnay which doesn’t have as much distribution and doesn’t make it to Virginia. It had much more hazlenut aspects again with a lot of apple and asian pear, and not too oaky.

Great episode.

John
April 27, 2007

Matt the Lurker
Oh, one other thing. I think you are completely right about the change in California Chardonnay. I have noticed from the tasting rooms that I have been to that the first changes of an anti-oak movement have already started. Lucky for us I guess. The real 64k question is is that going to bleed over into the reds as well? Currently I only get a sense that oak is passe in the white department and the new world oak monster reds are still in favor. I guess we’ll see soon enough.
April 27, 2007

Matt the Lurker
QOTD – What flavor? It changes all the time. That’s what’s so great about wine is that you don’t have to have the same thing every day. Currently I’m a fan of strawberry. But in general I think my palate screams for cinnamon.
April 26, 2007

eatapc
QOTD:

White wine: peaches.

Red wine: pepper.

– Mark B
April 26, 2007

Garrett
QOTD: Arm-pit! No seriously, it would have to be currant.

As for a wine to taste – how about a cheap’er’ Cali meritage?

Quintessa? Since you do not have St. Supery ‘Elu’ in stock…

http://winelibrary.com/reviewwine.asp?item=29253
April 26, 2007

flavasauce
QOTD: TRUFFLES!
April 26, 2007

Cat Pee Smells Like Wine :-)
QOD: Red: Tart red currant and tobacco. White: Cat Pee sizzling on a space heater.
April 26, 2007

wayno da wino
QOTD: CHERRIES (bing or black) That’s why i’m a pinophile.

If ya drink no Noir, ya Pinot Noir !!
April 26, 2007

Matthew L
Likely too late. Hall Merlot
http://winelibrary.com/reviewwine.asp?item=29624
April 26, 2007

Louisiana George
QOTD: 2004 Mas Donis – Loved the 2003, which was rated even higher by RP. I think the 2004 is just as good, although rating a little lower. Great wine for the pricepoint ($12).

Thanks for all you do.

Louisiana George
April 26, 2007

Sarah L
QOTD: red- rose hips; chardonnay- love a little butter; champagne- toasted almonds.
April 26, 2007

GottaGoDrink
Hi Gary!

QOTD- This week, for reds- plum/blueberry with a tannin bite, for whites- shiny metal.
April 26, 2007

Jim Walker
Orvieto Classico please!
http://winelibrary.com/reviewwine.asp?item=16491
April 26, 2007

Orion Slayer
Too late for today’s show, but try Layer Cake!

QOTD: Cherry, but tannins have to be there!

(Only 2 more days till the draft!)
April 26, 2007

Matthew L
Thanks Gary. Keep the white wines coming.

QOTD: Favorite means picking just one. Gosh…ummm…blackberries. Followed closely by raspberries, dark chocolate in reds; and grapefruit and fresh cut grass in whites.
April 26, 2007

TSchampaert
Doesn’t seem like I miss that much with no Cali Chards over here.
Try a Ripasso for the show, or at last a Sagrantino di Montefalco of Arnaldo Caprai (never had that on WLTV).
QOTD: I love the smell and taste of wet moss in wine. Some Barolos, Burgundies, Nero di Troias, Sankt Laurents have it. Great.