California Chardonnay on Display

California Chardonnay on Display – Episode #337

October 19, 2007

Gary Vaynerchuk tastes three Chardonnays that he’s excited to try.

Having trouble viewing this video? Try the Quicktime version.

Comments on this episode(225) Leave a comment ›

“QOTD: I like burgundian flavours over the oak….” by richardvinifera
“Fun show. I loved the references and the struggles with whether or no…” by Phredd
View all 225 ›

Wines tasted in this episode:

2005 Acacia Carneros ChardonnayNapa Chardonnay
2005 Sonoma Cutrer Sonoma Coast ChardonnaySonoma Chardonnay
2004 Petaluma Chardonnay PiccadillyAustralian Chardonnay

Links mentioned in todays episode.

Vayniac Napa Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 Forum

225 Responses

Pages: « 9 8 [7] 6 5 4 3 2 1 » Show All

October 21, 2007

Eli
Isn’t “butter” the same thing as “oak” on the nose?
October 21, 2007

familydoc
QOTD: I can appreciate the Butter Bandit AND the more citrisy, crisp apple un-oaked Chards from Austrailia. Try the Wishing Tree 2006 Un-oaked Chard, good crisp edges with melon and grapefruit. None of the toast or oak aspects that some might be looking for, it’s more of a “white” and pairs with “white wine foods”.

That said, I’m also feeling the Chards that spend some time in used oak, are soft on the oak, heavy on the butter and pair very well with fish! Think crab or lobster with the Butter Bandit. YES!
October 21, 2007

tarheel17
Gary, I’m going to keep asking….until you do!
Taste this! please? It’s great pinot, and for under $30.
http://winelibrary.com/reviewwine.asp?item=33097

Also, I am DOWN on chardonnay, because I never like it from California. Well, I liked the Rombauer, but c’mon, why can’t someone make something palatable for under $20? I have yet to find any. I’d go for the Acacia, and will look around, but meanwhile, I pretty much steer clear, having had so many bad experiences.
October 21, 2007

ktw
after drinking the naked chard you did an episode on I was not down on it but i am not sure that answered your question…did it?
October 21, 2007

Jen
Gary, I just have to say you look tired, great as always, but a little tired!! Hope you had a great weekend. Honestly, I’ve been checking out a lot of unoaked chardonnay lately. Also, drinking a lot of reds. Next shopping trip I’ll pick up a few oaked chardonnay’s & give them a try. Long story short…I’ll get back to you!! – Jen
October 21, 2007

Gary D
Gary,
Great episode…. one slight error: Acacia Winery is in Napa County, not Sonoma!
October 21, 2007

Andrew
QOTD: Yes love it again. I went through a stage of hating it after drinking a lot of cheap, ugly, poorly made ones in Australia. I’m back on the wagon though and really starting to appreciate some good chardonnays.
cheers Andrew
October 21, 2007

Nadine
So, to answer your question of the day in allll honestyyyy …. hummm – no, I am not particurly down with Chardonnay, My tastebuds don’t like it, lol Sorry to disappoint.
October 21, 2007

Dr.J
g,

dont want to rub it in, but the patriots are now 7-0 after kicking some dolphin butts today.
QOTD: like many other vayniacs, i critique wine every time i taste some. i dont do it to be negative, its just something that i do with almost every sip, it seems to squeeze a little more enjoyment out of each glass of wine. when it comes to white wine, most drink and like chardonnay. so if i am forced to drink white, most times i will go with a chardonnay, it is the least of all evils, and if the oak monster is not in the house, the most drinkable.
October 21, 2007

Kim
Love Chardonnays in the summer. Alot of my wino friends are down on chardonnays and curse the ones that bring on the butter but not me as I always have some J. Lohr around.
October 21, 2007

JonE
QOTD: I critique Chardonnays as a critique every wine I drink period. A bad force of habit from being in the business. I never drink straight, whether I like it or not I’m thinking pairings, seasonality, demographic fit. It has become really natural to me and I hate it. C’est la vie
October 21, 2007

Jason S.
Eatable or edible?

QOTD: I have been down on new world Chardonnay so I’ve been exploring more white Burgundy and finding I like the old world a lot more.
October 21, 2007

E
If I want butter and oak, I’ll roast some toothpicks.

Not that I haven’t had some great chardonnays (Beaujolais blanc, Macon, the odd Aussie unoaked variety), but there’s so many other interesting white wines around, most of the time, I’m just not that into chardonnay.

Our local organic-slash-locally-grown restaurant finally got their liquor license, and I don’t know who did their wine list, but they have FIVE different kinds of chardonnay. And it’s all mass-market little black dress type stuff. And they didn’t seem to understand that there could be anything wrong with this.
October 21, 2007

Sassodoro
QOTD. My wife and I don’t drink a lot of Chardonnay these days because there are so many other interesting wines out there, but for us it all depends on the food. Late summer sweet corn slathered in butter — a buttery Chardonnay is just the thing. In general, though I’d say we prefer the Burgundian style, but good Burgundy is usually out of our price range. The last American Chardonnay I had that struck me as Burgundian in style was from Oregon, namely Bethel Heights. I really enjoyed that one.
October 21, 2007

YoungDave
QOTD: I’ve actually been on a quest lately to find a Chard that I truly enjoy. I’ve gone from WAY over-oaked, “Butter Bandit” examples, to overly fruit Australian stuff, to cheap, light-bodied characterless vin de pays examples. I KNOW I can find a medium-to-fuller bodied Chard (maybe even from Cali), under 12 bones, with some granny smith apple, maybe some melon and pear, and subtly integrated toast from a little oak influence. I’m not tryin’ to hate on Cali Chard, and I won’t go all ABC, but a decent New World Chard at a decent price is definitely not so easy to come by.
October 21, 2007

lauralovesart
hey gary…loved you on ellen and loved your chardonnay rant…you’ve probably already done it…but…the our best selling chardonnay at julia’s kitchen in copia, napa, california is rombauer…our best selling pinot noir is ZD…and people were raving about the 2004 Darioush Signature Cabernet Sauvignon at a recent auction copia held…all i heard all night was…can i get some more of the darioush???

come by julia’s kitchen next time you’re in napa…ask for laura!
October 21, 2007

wmole
Gary,

Love your show,
Love you as a bro,
And I’m praying for many mo!

Shows and bro’s that is, and wine, and girls too, they’re amazing, they know everything!

Yes…I passed 2nd grade poetry class. Thankyou!

Also, I felt like a 2nd grader “winewise” when I started watching this show.
You’re a pretty good teacher and I think I’m now at least in middle school.

Been a pleasure G, and thanks for the BPP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
October 21, 2007

Kenman
Important to note that Sonoma Cutrer was sold.
The new wines do not represent the wines of old.
October 21, 2007

DomtheSomm
Yo G.V.

One last thing…..there’s always the NETS!

Tell you what….if your JETS can go 500, I will send you some of our new ESTATE Series Wines!!

Lata….sorry to hear about the rain….sunny days ahead all of us in CALI…..I’m going back to CALI!!!….ever thought of taking your show on the road….. you know….GARY V…”Unplugged”,,,another good idea from me to you!

Salut!
October 21, 2007

DomtheSomm
Ok G.V. I liked this round with round with the Chard’s, and hopefully it will spur some curiosity for exploration here. I do have a beef with the Joe Torre comment….that’s bad blood Gary…Torre has been the to the playoffs 12x in the 12 years he sat, they have won 4 WS with Torre…there is no doubt he’s Hall of Fame bound…show some love will ya! Anyways…QOTD….I love to taste Chard’s and more so understand the winemakers interpretation because Chardonnay’s are pretty neutral in their flavor profile, and are truely what a winemaker makes them through cooperage and ML. I’m not a huge fan for them and would opt for something else if I had a choice. Some people think you can’t have chard’s with red meat, whereas I paired a SCM Chardonnay that was so thick that it held up to a filet mignon, so go figure! Anyways….Another week in NFL….go Giants!
October 20, 2007

KellyDuff
QOTD: For me, drinking wine is the same as deciding what i want for dinner.
It’s a choice. Sometimes i’m in the mood for fish, sometimes tempeh or some other
homogenized fake meat product to pretend that i am still eating meat. Other times i just
want a light green salad and other times i crave a big plate of pasta. I get those cravings
and sometimes i crave a buttery, oak infested beverage to go along with my dinner and
sometimes i don’t.

QFGV:
(with regard to other posts about slim pickings)
Why is it that bars have such crap selection for glass wines in Suburbia Ville.. You know how it is in parts of NJ. Are the regional sales reps just not pushing hard enough on the stingy old owners or what… It’s like the worst things about going home for the holidays..Head to a local bar and all you want is a simple tasty wine while your old school buddies get wasted on cheap beer and shots, trying to drown their reality about how fat and miserable life has become…. And there you are with your eyebrows all cross trying to decide between the crap red, the crap white or the white zin (does that count?). If there is one thing i would wish that did change in the wine world, that would be it.
October 20, 2007

tsantos
I never liked California chardonnays. Butter and oak are just annoying to me in most wine. When I first tried it, I sure did like white Burgundy though! When I later found out that it was Chardonnay I was confused because I *loved* white Burgundy so much and California chard so little… hard to believe they were the same varietal. I thought that I just hated Chardonnay. The only couple of California chards that I enjoy are quite expensive for their relative quality (like the unfiltered Talbott wines and Kistler).

I think Butter Bandit is a great name for the Oak Monster’s sidekick. When they both show up, you need to run screaming.
October 20, 2007

Scott
QOTD:
No chardonnay bashing here. Not a big fan of the tandem of the oak monster and the butter bandit, but I don’t believe that’s not most chards. I think one of the most under-rated chardonnays under $20 right now is the Washington state Chateau Ste Michelle Indian Wells Chardonnay, both ‘04 and ‘05 were solid for the price.
October 20, 2007

Kristen
Interesting to think that an Australian chard would go over the top not as a fruit bomb, but just a chard on steroids…is that a requirement for most Australian wine makers? (not hatin’ on Australia, just making an observation).

“A little work is ok, but don’t go Joan Rivers on me!” Classic stuff GV!

QOTD: I only like good chards (which for me don’t include the Butter Bandit. seriously, if I want as much butter as some chards have packed, I’d go get a humongous tub of popcorn at the movies)! I really enjoyed the Newton Chard from Cali and the Girard chard. But for the most part, I prefer the minerality of white Burgundies (Chitry Bourgogne 2005 is delish…esp when you add creme de cassis and make Kir!) rather than the over-oaked new world chards.
October 20, 2007

John J.
QOTD: Yeah, I critique chardonnay but only because I love it so much. It’s a tough kinda love.