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If You Like California Chardonnay


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without watching....was that about montelena?

 

 

 

good thing i like so many varietals... looks like i'll be loading up on my dry roses and viogniers :wacko:

 

 

You got it. I've read the "Judgment in Paris" book which was pretty good. Should be interesting to see how close to reality the movie is.

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Actually, most guys selling to me can't give the stuff away for the last several years. Not unlike Merlot, the US market has been completely wrong about the grape. Not unlike Merlot, it saw a metoric rise that resulted in a bunch of really crappy versions resulting from grapes being grown in too many places that weren't right. Then they slapped a bunch of oak on it to cover the fact that it was crappy juice. So, naturally, everyone got turned off. Of course, rather than blaming the fact that they were growing Chard in the wrong places and making fundamentally bad juice, they blamed the oak. So, anyone who made oaked Chard was screwed (well, except the French who'd been doing it all along). Further, these same Johnny come latelys who destroyed the image of the varietal simply started producing their wines in tank instead of barrel. So now, instead of a glut of really crappy oaked chard, we got really crappy un-oaked chard which was actually worse because the oak was the only tasty thing about the crap.

 

Further, it created a marginally informed customer who, just like they ordered Pinot instead of Merlot because they were supposed stopped ordering any oaked Chardonnay. Thing is, oak makes Chardonnay taste great. Assuming, of course, that it's good to begin with. Just like I've been stocking up on all the really great Merlots that nobody could sell, I've been doing the same with Chards. I freaking love the stuff and I'm being offered really nice, single vineyard versions for much less than I can remember paying.

 

As an aside, I've tasted more crappy Pinot Noir and Sauv Blanc (the grape that stepped up to fill the market place left by Chards) over the last few years than any other varietal. The real irony is that, in the movie Sideways, dude explains why he loves the grape. That it's so fickle and can only be grown in these special little pockets of the world. So, now everyone's drinking over-cropped Pinot grown in Chile or hot CA valleys because it's the only stuff left that cost around $10. Sort of funny.

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