We've been doing a lot of Chardonnay reviews recently with prices running from about $7 to the mid-fifties. Today's wine is yet another Chardonnay from Chile well within the $10 price range. The companion wine is a kosher South African Chardonnay well within the $15 price range. The Santa Carolina Chilean winery was established with the help of French wine professionals in the Central Valley using French grapes. The winery owns vineyards in several different valleys. Today's wine comes from the Rapel Valley, which stretches from the Pacific Ocean to the Andes mountains a distance of about 60 miles (100 kilometers), an area with low rainfall near the Rapel River that brings mineral rich melt water from the upper Andes. You might want to try wines coming from the Colchagua Valley north of the river or the Cachapoal Valley south of the river. As often, the smaller the region the better the wine potential. OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price. Wine Reviewed Santa Carolina Chardonnay 2009 13.0% alcohol about $7 Let's start by quoting the marketing materials. Tasting Note: Light lemon color; Vanilla, slightly tropical aromas and flavors with subdued apple notes: Dry, medium-bodied, with well balanced acidity and a tangy lemon finish. Serving Suggestion: Light seafood; pasta salads, southern fried chicken; veal. And now for my review. I want to mention after several problems I was happy to deal with a twist off cap that easily twists off. At the first sips I noted pleasant acidity with the taste of apples and lemons. The Chardonnay was ever so slightly sweet. The first meal was a quite dry honey and garlic barbecued chicken breast. In response the wine's acidity intensified and was not totally pleasant. A moister barbecued chicken wing rendered this Chardonnay round and mellow. When it accompanied potatoes roasted in chicken fat, the wine's acidity once again became enjoyable. In the presence of Moroccan style carrots with cumin and sliced green olives the wine weakened. Its pairing with fruit juice candy was not a marriage made in heaven; the Chardonnay was nearly gutted but there was some fruit. The next meal was vegetarian, starting with puff pastry and spinach appetizers. The wine tasted of apples and had powerful acidity. It was slightly sweet, with the taste of honey. The main dish was a zucchini, onion, portabella mushroom, tomato, and eggplant casserole that wasn't nearly as tasty as it sounds. The wine was somewhat flat, but its lemons were long. This meal earned me two desserts. With fresh but out of season strawberries, the Chardonnay lost its sweetness and it wasn't very acidic. With fairly good bittersweet chocolate the wine's acidity was present, but its fruit missed the bus. My final meal was an omelet perked up with plenty of ground chilies. The Chardonnay displayed pleasant acidity to accompany the chilies but there wasn't much fruit. With fresh tomatoes this wine was sweet and even showed some caramel. But it proved to be quite light when paired with roasted red pepper humus. My first cheese was a yellow brick. The wine had light acidity and a lemon flavor. Not bad, especially for a guy who's not into wine and cheese. When paired with a more interesting Swiss cheese apple came to the fore. Final verdict. I probably would not buy this wine again. Too short in the flavor department. But I might take a look at wines from the subregions in this part of Chile.
Please Rate this Article 5 out of 54 out of 53 out of 52 out of 51 out of 5
Not yet Rated
