La Crema Chardonnay Monterey

Very simple wine. For $15 more I can drink big table farm wild bee. Lemon, spice, mild oak and a very short finish.

The wine looks yellow gold colored. The legs are slow. There is no sediment in the bottle. It smells like grapefruit. It tastes like apricot. The body is medium. The wine has round texture. The wine finishes medium. The wine has low acidity.

Straight forward. Smooth silky. Buttered popcorn is a good description with a nice citrus finish. Not really sophisticated but I don't think it is trying to be. This is your everyday California Chard. Has a couple of years at most.

A very nice, rich Chardonnay for drinking as an aperitif. One of Ardis' favorites.

Nose of grapefruit and fermented/yeasty notes, giving it a popcorn or wheat note but not to the point of butter or butterscotch. Medium to light body, accented again by yeasty notes on a background of grapefruit and a hint of apricot. Mid-palate and finish turns slightly bitter to grapefruit pith. Decent acidity with a shorter finish. Decent wine, with redeeming acidity on a lighter frame, allowing it to be an ok pairing for food. The interaction with lees and oak …

Solid Cali chard.

Pineapple and exotic floral tones Juicy acidity and rich texture

Light straw yellow color; lemon cream, vanilla nose; medium bodied, lemon cream, vanilla palate with some balancing acidity; medium-plus finish (13.5% alcohol) 86+ points

Looking for <$20 Chardonnay to dollar cost average down our informal Chardonnay inventory. Tasted against their Sonoma Coast version of the same vintage, we preferred this one overall for its better acidity and brighter fruit. The Sonoma being too typically buttery, over oaked, glycerine, etc., etc. Each will have its place depending on the food pairing, neither what we'd like to sip without food. <sigh> The search continues... :-p

- Yellow color.

Solid, dependable, value-driven offering. Tropical nose of jack fruit, citrus, vanilla, toast, and a touch of flint. Full bodied, almost rich in texture, with good balance, fresh acidity, and lemon zest on the satisfying finish.