Overpriced California Chardonnay – Big on oak AND cost
Written By: Randy Torban on Tue, Sep 22nd 2009
I had the pleasure of spending this past weekend at The Ritz Carlton Resort in Naples, Florida to celebrate a family member’s 30th birthday. Wanting to entertain the family, I packed up the car with a case of assorted wine to enjoy throughout the weekend. The bottles included sparkling wines for toasting, reds and whites for dinner, and dessert bottles for evenings on the hotel balcony. I was especially excited to try one of the bottles in the case: the Far Niente 2007 Estate Chardonnay.
I have always been a huge fan of Far Niente’s Single Vineyard and Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, as well as their Dolce dessert wine, which I feel is the closest thing to Chateau d’Yquem that comes out of California. But I have a tough time paying big money for California Chardonnay. It is hard enough to think about spending $80-100 on a really nice Burgundy (it’s just French Chardonnay). Nevertheless, I decided to purchase their Chardonnay – after all, the weekend was a celebration.
The family and I ended up at Bamboo Cafe, a lovely little French restaurant in downtown Naples. Although they have a full bar, their owners were kind enough to allow us to bring our own wine. The food was wonderful, and almost by fate, a few of the seafood dishes were prepared with Chardonnay. The Far Niente paired beautifully with both the pink gulf shrimp and Alaskan Coho salmon dishes. Here is what I picked up in the wine:
Far Niente 2007 Estate Bottled Napa Valley Chardonnay
Very ripe tropical notes of melon, fig and guava emerge on the nose, as well as stone and spicy clove. Very round in the mouth, the tropical notes from the bouquet emerge on the palate, as well as the minerality. Full-bodied, the wine is full of toasty oak, and has a smooth creamy finish. Perfect for grilled seafood, as well as just about anything served in a cream sauce. It was also very nice with the duck dish I enjoyed.
The dinner company was great. The food was amazing. The wine was good – but not $50 good. I wasn’t disappointed by any means, but I couldn’t help but think that there are other bottles just as creamy and complex, which cost less. The bottle that immediately came to mind was the Mer Soliel Chardonnay. At $35, it’s still not a bargain bottle, but it’s one of the best Chardonnays I’ve ever had. The bottle of Far Niente Chrdonnay just reinforced my thinking that there’s no need to overpay for California Chardonnay, no matter what region it’s produced in. The nail in the coffin was when I happened to see the bottle at Publix the next day for $68. Too too much!
This article brought to you by our friends at The South Beach Wine Club.
