Another Sonoma County California Chardonnay
Is it worth paying for one of California's top wine areas?...Benziger Family Winery
Once in a while I feel like splurging so I spent $25 on a Chardonnay, rarely one of my favorite wines. Benziger is a family wine producer in California’s famous Sonoma County. The company encompasses seven siblings and their parents as well. Their website includes a 15 minute video and describes the differences among sustainable (as this wine), organic, and biodynamic wine production. “Our methods reduce artificial inputs, create soil vitality and increase biodiversity in and around the vineyards.” The winery offers tours and tasting, but even the tours will cost you. The companion wine is a French Chardonnay for which I paid slightly over one third as much as for this bottle.
OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.
Wine Reviewed
Benziger Chardonnay 2008 13.5 % alcohol about $14 (on the Internet)
Let’s start by quoting the marketing materials. “Tasting Note: Deep gold in color, with aromas of apple butter, vanilla, Granny Smith apples, and toast. The palate is medium-full bodied and round, with apple, vanilla, and toast notes. There is great structure and balance here, with a lovely refreshing acidity. Perfect for grilled calamari. (VINTAGES panel, May 2010)” And now for my review.
Benziger Chardonnay
At the first sips this wine was ethereal but it may have too much wood. It did have balanced acidity. Then I nibbled on Japanese rice crackers some of which contained peanuts. The wine displayed good acidity and some smoke. The first meal consisted of boxed pancakes made from spinach, potatoes, wheat, onions, and eggs. Unfortunately the Chardonnay’s wood started to come out of the woodwork dominating everything else. Caramel did try to assert itself. For dessert I enjoyed blueberry-topped cheesecake; it managed to tame the oak and the caramel was still present.
My next meal centered on a chicken leg baked in duck sauce. The libation was long with caramel, toast, and a slight, pleasant sweetness. But there was a little too much oak for me. With the accompanying sliced potatoes this drink’s acidity and oak intensified. When paired with the sliced yams the oak became excessive. Fruit juice candy made everything step down, even the oak.
My final meal was a boxed baked Ziti Siciliano composed of eggplant, tomatoes, and Mozarella cheese that I doused with grated Parmesan cheese. Now the Chardonnay offered caramel and vanilla. It was overly acidic. Chocolate mint cookies weakened the wine; I got a little taste of toast. Fresh strawberries muted the wine, except for the oak.
The first cheese was an imported Feta. The Chardonnay was oily, with some lemon and toast but there was an aftertaste. When paired with goat’s milk cheese containing figs I tasted burnt toast and caramel.
Final verdict. I won’t buy this wine again, either at the price I paid or even at the Internet price. I am just not that into oak.
Access the companion wine A Wine Lover's Weekly Review Of $10 Wine - A High-Volume French Chardonnay
About the Author
Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten books on computers and the Internet, but to be honest, he would
rather just drink fine Italian or other wine, accompanied by the right foods. He teaches classes in computers at an Ontario
French-language community college. His wine websites include
www.theworldwidewine.com
and http://www.wineinyourdiet.com
Visit his website devoted to Italian travel
www.travelitalytravel.com
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