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EP 893 Supermarket Wine Week – California Chards

Gary Vaynerchuk continues supermarket wine week with 3 California Chardonnay’s.

Wines tasted in this episode:

Smoking Loon ChardonnayCalifornia Chardonnay
Bogle ChardonnayCalifornia Chardonnay
2008 Rombauer Carneros ChardonnayNapa Chardonnay


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luca bercelli

93/100

Lines of the day, all three of them! ‘This wine is too legit to quit’, ‘we may have a highlight reel just of this show’ and ‘It’s Kendall Jackson with fancy clothes on’

Great show, camera goes for a walk with GV, stories of school days, dad getting in the way (Gary looked like at one point he was going to tell him to butt out). It was all happening here and I loved it all

Tags: chardonnay, review, Video, white, wine, wines

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  • zanne_70

    GV – I gotta say that while I wouldn't want it to be like that on every show, it is some good cheap entertainment when you kick in with ADHD like that! Great fun!

    QOTD: Don't live in the US any longer so not sure about any CA chardonnay these days. In any case, certainly didn't have anything particularly special on a recent trip home (at least not in the chard category – did have a SUPERB chenin blanc from CA though…)

  • zanne_70

    Amen to that! Couldn't agree more.

  • MarcBelgium

    In a sort of way I liked this show. A bit chaotic but great fun. Not for every show but once in a while.
    Bogle is indeed a very niced wine. I love it a lot.

    QOTD. Pahlmeyer. Quite expensive but in my opinion one of the few Californian chards who can compete with French chard.

  • Ha! Too funny, JF. Do you remember which one you had? I liked the vineyard designates better than the Kite’s Rest. Thx.

  • Cardiff_Kie

    QOTD: Tolosa “1772” Chardonnay

  • lau1

    Great show! Lots of fun, though the wines were a bit boring.

  • Guest

    No wonder your pronunciation of the German labels sucks.

  • nikkig

    I don't drink CA chard much… possibly because I would prefer to be eating marzipan. I love it.

  • DCaragher

    GV – Great show, got a little hectic, but excitement is always welcome!

    QOTD: I really like the Mount Eden Chard and Ridge!
    QOTD 1/2: I have not had marzipan…

  • Whalen44

    Gustavo Thrace Chard

  • Marzipan yes
    Chardonnay: Chehalem Inox Chard

  • Don Simpson

    That was a hilarious show!!! I enjoy seeing the behind the scenes at Wine Library.

    QOTD: Joseph Phelps Chardonnay

  • Don Simpson

    Oh and I have not had marzipan fruit

  • Don Simpson

    I should qualify that by saying I'm not a big fan of Chardonnay… There are so many more white varietals I prefer.

  • Acblakney

    QOTD: Rubus Sonoma Chardonnay…. $13 this is great knowing the industry secrets of the american wine business. 😉

  • Ianmhalpern

    hi nita!

  • Ianmhalpern

    love to see some readily available wines in the spotlight, thank you gary!… i dig on chardonnay and have been enjoying flowers, atticus john and hanzell recently, although clos du bois is a great go to for the value!

  • passion4wine

    I stay near Grenoble France every year- all the chocolate/candy shops have a lot of Marzipan..I stopped trying.. just do not care for it.
    Chard, I do not drink it much .. I think the last one I bought was Nickel & Nickel and it was very nice.

  • Alexandre,

    Thanks for the QOTD plug. Our 2008 vintage should arrive in the marketplace over the next two months. Winemaker Rob Davis thinks it’s his best effort to date.

    http://blog.jordanwinery.com/2010/05/new-vintages-released-the-historical-significance-of-2008-chardonnay-and-2006-cabernet-sauvignon/

    Have a great weekend.

    Cheers,
    Lisa Mattson

    The Journey of Jordan: a wine and food video blog

  • Haven't had enough California Chard's to be able to pick a “favorite”, but I REALLY enjoyed the Terlato Chardonnay I had a few weeks ago.

  • Nik_B

    This episode was definitely US-centric.. I doubt you would find any of these in any store, let alone a supermarket, in the UK or Australia.

    QOTD – don't have a favourite.. one that stands out was the Ridge Chardonnay 2006

  • I agree with Don S. Great to see Gary on the move at WL. And how cool that Sasha made a cameo. I really enjoyed watching father and son hash out opinions on the Rombauer vs. Smooking Loon.

    Cheers,
    Lisa Mattson
    The Journey of Jordan: a wine and food video blog

  • Anonymous

    QOTD:

    ZD 2007 Chardonnay – probably as close to a Mersault as we can get for under $40
    Domaine Drouhin 2009 Chardonnay – solid minerality, flowers, medium body for ~$25

    My palate is stuck on imports for value and winemaking. During the summer months I look for crisp, integrated, light wines and usually have to look outside the domestics, and almost always have to look outside the Chardonnay crowd. Foxglove is interesting because it is made in stainless steel tanks with no malolactic fermentation so the fruit really comes out, but it doesn’t totally get to the top of the hill without getting off the bike and walking.

  • pian0_player

    I had a Chateau St jean Chard at Alize in Vegas a couple weeks ago as part of their tasting menu. When they brought it out I was a bit irritated as I view them as Supermarket wine, but it was awesome! Not sure which cuvee or vintage, but I was impressed. I do know it wasnt the standard one you get at the market. Not really into the CA chard scene, but am open to learning more.

  • Vas

    Please do that monthly digital mag with all your scores in it.

  • Scott the ex-wine dude

    QOTD – Ferrari-Carano

  • rgano

    I'm definitely going to try the Bogle. My favorite California Chardonnay ever is Ramazzotti Winery's 2006 Cry Creek Valley Chardonnay. I had the 2007 and didn't like it nearly as much, but am looking forward to trying their current vintage to see if it's as multi-layered as the 2006.

  • I just love shows like this…they are kind of “personal” if you will.

    QOTD: Hayman & Hill

  • RobinC

    I had no idea of the relatonship between them. I also hadn’t thought of Rombauer Vineyards in some time, but we spotted a bottle of cabernet at Whole Foods (I think)the other day. I had forgotten all about Braniff. Interesting.

  • RobinC

    It was actually almond paste I made, but marzipan is a type of almond paste. You have to like almonds a lot. I don’t care for marzipan much, but almond paste is fabulous and pretty easy to make.

  • Anonymous

    Nice…I love the randomness of the show. But I’m a random guy so I always appreciate that and feel like I get more honesty from people who do embrace that.
    Qotd1: I’ve never had marzipan but I guess I should right? lol
    Qotd2: My current favorite is Merryvale Chardonnay. It has a great orange-ish to tropical fruit flavor with a light cream and oak flavor. And there’s also a subtle yet solid vegitably earthiness to it that bridges the gap and is not that common to most chardonnays.

  • Anonymous

    QOTD 1: YES just recently had a dark chocolate and marzipan bar… deLIcious.
    QOTD: Ok, if I HAVE to pick a domestic Chard as a favorite, 1999 Talbott. NOT typical CA!!

  • Dusanmal

    QOTD 1: I love to eat marzipan itself (can find it in most supermarkets in small “tubes”) but i find marzipan fruit having some chemical taste to it I really dislike (coloring?), so I rarely touch those…

    QOTD 2: You defined this question in two ways: a) at first American Chard’ than few seconds later b) California Chard’… I’ll stick to the first one as I like Long Island Chard’s vs. the rest of US. Two that are the most consistent are Gallucio Cru George Allaire top choice, than Wolffer. Not Supermarket wines, though.

  • Randall

    Late answer… Forgot, ok?
    QOTD: I like a lot of Cali Chards, diff styles, diff price points. I agree on Bogle (they are a cutomer of my paper comp, along w/ many other wineries) Petite Syrah and Merlot, but I would add their Old Vine Zin, as well. Then maybe a distant Chard…

    SQOTD: The best marzipan I ever had was years ago when I worked for a little bit at Blue Diamond (nuts, etc). The friend that had gotten me the job there took me into the production room and we macked on warm, fresh marzipan as it was being produced. Mmm, mmm GOOD!!

  • Anonymous

    qotd: lets go to Buty Chardonnay out of Walla Walla!, Cali hmmm
    2007 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Chardonnay Karia
    2008 Foxglove Chardonnay

  • NoazDad

    Any show with Sasha in it is a must-see! Sasha FTW…

    QOTD: Elizabeth Spencer Block 7 Sonoma Coast Chard. It rolls in at $60 bones, but it’s lip-smacking…. You’d think it was from Montrachet.

  • Any show with Sascha gets an a thumbs up.

    QOTD: Cameron Clos Electrique blanc, great old world style chard

  • Lewis

    Peter Michael for the high rollers, Dutton Goldfield for the wine lovers, looks like Bogles the call for my Chardonnay loving Mom and the value play crowd, would really rather drink a good Viognier any day over Chardonnay though, like Cold Heaven

  • Tacordier

    Oh my god. Cold Heaven. So good. Had it at Bouchon a month or two ago in LA. Holy crap, delicious. Way better than the 40 euro Condrieu I had a few weeks ago.

  • Tacordier

    I’ve heard a good one: “Rombauer Chardonnay: Cougar Crack”

  • Lurker Berserker

    That was undoubtedly the “craziest” show you’ve ever done. It was all over the place… it was bedlam… it was 20 minutes that seemed like 40. That being said, I think that Bogle has a track record for producing wines with high QPR. I also love Rombauer but I think its gotten to be so popular (for all the right reasons) that people stick with the same old familiar brand (like Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio) – the ‘standard’ effect.

    QOTD: I haven’t had a lot of American Chardonnay lately but one of the few that I have had left me quite pleased – it was one from the Saint Laurent Winery in Washington State. Give it a try sometime – maybe taste it on WLTV… 😉

  • DonandSons

    Thanks for reviewing Smoking Loon Gary!

  • Anonymous

    What a great episode. I love to see you having fun, and always love to see your Dad.

    I will try the Bogle as I know it is in my area.

    QOTD – Toad Hollow. Sorry, but really like the unoaked Chard’s.

  • Nice to see the people behind the scense every now and again. Good to here about the Bogle chard. I will have to pick some up for a value white during the week. The bogle PS was my first serious wine I think. 🙂

    QOTD: I really dont buy a lot of chard, so I cant even recall a cali chard I like. I do really hope the Chateau Montelena Chard I bought last year winds up being really good. I got it on a good sale locally and hope to wait until my wife can have wine again to open it. 3 more months go to in pregnancy, and 9-12 more in breast feeding. So another solid year and a half before it opened.

    Jason

  • Anonymous

    Love the field trip through the building Gary.
    SQOTD: Yes….looks much better than it tastes.
    QOTD: Stuhlmuller Chardonnay (Alexander Valley)

  • JCN

    A wine shop manager in my area (OC) said he also hides the Rombauer Chard. He called it OC housewife wine and that people came in looking for it constantly. So why hide it? He said Rombauer would only sell the store white wine if they bought the red too which isn’t nearly as popular. I didn’t realize a winery (or distributor I guess) could strong arm the shops like this.

  • JCN

    forgot to answer the QOTD: favorite Cali Chard is a dry farmed Chard made by Foxen, amazing, and only $30

  • Timinspokane

    QOTD – Rulo, from Walla Walla, makes my favorite American chardonnays. They make a few of them, and both are absolutely killer. They self distribute, so you would have to get on line. Also, Wine Enthusiast (Paul Gregutt) just gave their $20 syrah a 96 point score (!!!). These guys are totally worth checking out – across the board, their wines are laser-like in their focus, boast big fruit, and are one of the best hidden gem value plays in the country.

    Beyond that, one of my favorite all-time chards was made by the old Belvedere Winery in the Russian River Valley (now called C. Donatiello). Their cheaper Healdsburg Ranches chardonnay was a killer. Quite a bit of oak and some butter, but it had a huge tropical fruit vein, with some stone fruits and ripe pear, that kept the oak in check. It was a pretty big chardonnay with decent acidity, and for the money, I thought it rocked. If I could buy a case right now, I would.

  • saltLURKcity

    You just got a LURKER to make his first post!

    QOTD: Qupe! I love their approach, and not only to Chards. There always seems to be a natural elegance to their wines. I’ve only had a handful, but they’ve all been thoughtfully made.

  • Rexinator

    viansa reserved chard 2006, dry, complex and intense. @ 25 bucks, I think it’s great value.

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