2007 Black Star Farms Arcturos Barrel Aged Chardonnay

This bottle retails for $14 through the winery. Fans of this blog know The Wineauxs do not like Chardonnay as a grape or oaked whites in general. This can go one of several ways, but for whatever it's worth, we don't pull punches. We tried this as part of the Tweet and Taste Michigan - search #ttmi on Twitter and check out all the tweets!

A little vanilla on the nose.

Relatively light on oak, a bit of vanilla, some lemon, definitely a fatter mouthfeel than I prefer, but compared to many Chards this probably a lighter style, which is good for my palate. This has, and I apologize for saying this, a quality that reminds me of snot. Wine fans know comparisons to disgusting things are often compliments and I do mean it as that.

More lemon and, yes, more snot on the finish.

I had a feeling just by the light color of this wine that we'd be alright with it, and sure enough we are. It's definitely a Chardonnay but the lighter style is welcome. Part of me expected to sample this and ditch the bottle, but now I'm thinking about getting some sort of fish, tuna steaks maybe, and polishing the rest off tomorrow.

This wine was not tasted blind and the bottle was comped. These facts do not intentionally cloud my description or rating, but full disclosure is a must.

Score: 85*

2007 Two Lads Chardonnay

Alright, we are fans of Two Lads, but how will they do with a grape we do not like? This is not currently available from the winery, but can probably be found in an array of restaurants or shops. I assume later this year or perhaps early next, it will be back in a new vintage for around $20 a pop.

The nose here just reminds me of pineapple and butter.

The palate here isn't half bad, mainly because it's a bit lighter than one normally sees in an oaked Chard. Pineapple, vanilla, some slightly unripe melon of the musk variety all with a bit of the peachy/fuzzy navel thing. Oak, white wine, and our palates don't mix, but this isn't a bad offering - mainly because the oak is fairly light (it was aged in large 630 gallon oak vats, not smaller 60 gallon oak barrels). Still...I can't help but think "man, I'd rather be drinking something else."

The finish brings out some of the oak with some of the typically Chardonnay qualities coming to the front, including that butter and cream.

A respectable wine, more than respectable in fact, but not enough to win us over....if you dig whites, you cannot go wrong with this winery's PG and Riesling. If you're a Chardonnay nut, I can't see this not being up there, but for us? This one gets a pass.

Wine: 6.5
Value: Pass

2004 Red Bicyclette Chardonnay

Yep, another cheap Chardonnay from France. It was on sale and I figured it may be worth a shot.

Apple on the nose.

Some apple, cantaloupe, and grape on the palate, a somewhat buttery mouthfeel.

A generically fruity finish fades quickly.

Not bad at all, but certainly not great, no depth but enjoyable - which is saying a lot from a guy who detests Chardonnay. For a cheap supermarket wine, this isn’t bad.

2004 Louis Jadot Bourgogne Chardonnay

Do not adjust your monitor, this is a bottle of Chardonnay on The Wineauxs. Why? I had a strange urge to try a Chardonnay. This is, I believe the lowest end wine from Louis Jadot, it’s from Burgundy and ran us just about $14.

Buttery, creamy, pineapple nose.

Citrus, pineapple, vanilla...I don’t know if this has seen oak but I seem to detect some–not really a good thing. There are some nice layers in this and it has a decent complexity to it...nothing too deep in the grand scheme of things I'm sure, but it's not a dumb wine.

The finish brings out some more vanilla and pineapple.

I wasn’t really sure I’d be a fan of this and I can’t say I am...but we’re not offended and that’s really the nicest thing we can say about a Chardonnay. I certainly won’t be buying it again, but I’m glad I experienced it. I think the next Chardonnay I try will be a New World unoaked one.