Box Wines
A wine blog with news and reviews of affordable wines

Price: $9
Maker: Corbett Canyon Vineyards
Varietal: Chardonnay
Packaging: 3 liter box, twist spigot
Alcohol: 12.5%
Our Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Corbett Canyon Chardonnay 2005 was a favorite in Wine Blogging Wednesday #31. Despite its modest price - ounce for ounce, it’s cheaper than Two Buck Chuck from Charles Shaw except in California (where Two Buck Chuck really costs $2 a bottle) - Citizen Wine’s blind tasting event picked the Corbett Canyon Chardonnay as one of the best whites. We’re not big Chardonnay drinkers, but we finally decided to sample this wine. The nose wasn’t overwhelming, but had cut grass and tart apple notes. On the palate, this wine was crisp and refreshing, with Granny Smith apple and mild pear notes leading into a slightly acidic finish.

Corbett Canyon may not be the finest or most complex Chardonnay available, but for under $10 for a 3-liter cask it’s a steal. It’s fine for party use or for glass-a-day drinkers who can’t put much of a dent in a 750 ml bottle and hate to see wine spoil. I suppose the fact that a cheap Chardonnay can be fairly decent shouldn’t be much of a surprise after Charles Shaw Chardonnay took top honors at the California State Fair wine competition.

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In a decision that will surely make Fred Franzia grin and every other California winemaker cringe, Charles Shaw Chardonnay was judged to the the best example of that varietal from California:

The Charles Shaw 2005 California chardonnay (yes, the $1.99 “Two Buck Chuck” made by Bronco Wine Company sold at Trader Joe’s) was judged Best Chardonnay from California at California State Fair Commercial Wine Competition.

The chardonnay received 98 points, a double gold, with accolades of Best of California and Best of Class.

“Since we judge all wines totally by variety without different brackets for price, this double-gold achievement by the Bronco winemakers is astounding,” said G.M. Pucilowski, chief judge and director of the competition. [From Napa Valley Register]

We liked the Charles Shaw Chardonnay when we tasted it, though we didn’t quite score it as our best Chardonnay ever. We did suggest that it could be passed off as a much more expensive wine, and apparently the California judges reached the same conclusion.

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Price: $18
Maker: Killer Juice Vineyards, Ripon, California
Variety: Chardonnay
Packaging: 3-liter box
Alcohol: 13.5%
Our Rating: 9 out of 10

Killer Juice Chardonnay 2005 is, along with Angel Juice Pinot Grigio, one of the two boxed white wines marketed by Underdog Wine Merchants. The two names are surprisingly appropriate, as the two whites are practically polar opposites. While Angel Juice is a light, barely there wine, Killer Juice Chardonnay is big, rich, and creamy. The nose is spice and tropical fruit. The flavor is peach, pineapple, and mango, with some oak, spice, and light acidity in the finish. The finish lingers, but is clean and tangy. This chard is almost syrupy in texture.

Chardonnay isn’t our favorite varietal, but we liked Killer Juice Chardonnay 2005 a lot. This is one of the most pleasant Chardonnays we’ve tasted recently, whether in box or bottle. Unlike some California Chardonnays, the Killer Juice is neither overly dry nor overly oaky, and that makes it very appealing.

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Just had a chance to taste some interesting wines at a local tasting, and I thought I’d share some fragmentary notes:

Kunde Sauvignon Blanc 2005. Melon and peach notes, slightly acidic finish.
Frei Brothers Chardonnay 2005. Not your usual Chardonnay. Strong vanilla flavors, with a moderately astringent finish. Definitely not an over-oaked chard.
Bridlewood Viognier 2005. Another quite different selection. Tropical notes, not too dry, and clean on the palate.
MacMurray Ranch Pinot Noir 2005 (Sonoma Coast). I found this to be an unusually pleasant Pinot Noir - it offered big, bold plum, berry, and cherry notes, and a smooth finish. I tend to complain that some Pinot Noirs are a bit thin (or subtle, if you prefer), but this one is neither thin nor subtle. Recommended.
Gloria Ferrer Carneros Merlot 2002. Strong berry nose with some woody/leather notes, big rounded flavor featuring a great balance of blackberry and cherry, oak, and spice leading into a long finish. This was a big, well balanced Merlot, and my favorite of the evening.
Bridlewood Syrah 2004 (Central Coast). A nice, well-balanced Syrah with blackberry, oak, and black pepper flavors.
Frei Brothers Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. We finished with this rich cab. Lots of dark berry and oak complexity, with a long finish. Highly drinkable.

The big winner for me was the Gloria Ferrer Carneros Merlot; I liked the Frei Brothers Cabernet Sauvignon and the MacMurray Ranch Merlot quite a bit, too. This was quite an unusual tasting - I liked all of the wines, and every red (including Red Rock Merlot, not described above) were wines that I’d buy.

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Price: $29
Maker: JuiceBox Wine Company, Manchester, MA
Varietal: Chardonnay
Packaging: 3-liter box
Alcohol: 12.5%
Our Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Free Range Chardonnay 2005 is another upper-tier boxed wine from Free Range Wines. This Chardonnay has aromas of green apple and citrus. On the palate, it offers an interesting mix of tart apple flavors, oak notes, and a creamy texture. The effect is one of balanced complexity.

Chardonnay is an all-too-common varietal, and many of the less-expensive brands have too much oak and not enough of anything else. Free Range Chardonnay fortunately is in no way over-oaked, and has a nice depth that will interest a variety of palates. The wine comes from Le Bousquet d’Orb, which is near the picturesque walled city of Carcassonne in the south of France. The town’s website proudly proclaims, “The highly appreciated Chardonnay produced by the wine Cooperative - which won an international gold medal in 1999 - is just one example of the ‘good life’ cultivated here in Le Bousquet d’Orb.” Chardonnay lovers will agree that Free Range Chardonnay is part of the “good life.”

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A recent trip aboard the Golden Princess featured two separate wine tasting events hosted by the ship’s sommelier staff. The first was less elaborate, and we’ll post on that one here:

Errazuriz Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc. This Chilean wine was light in color with excellent clarity and a melon nose. The flavor was a suprisingly sweet mix of pear, melon, and apple.

Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay 2005 (Lake County). Color was straw/light yellow, with brilliant clarity. The aroma had apple, melon, and pineapple notes. Flavor was rich, creamy, and crisp, with apple, melon, oak, and spice.

Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc 2005. From Marlborough, New Zealand, this wine had gooseberry in the nose. Its flavor notes were citrus and peach. It was lightly syrupy in texture, and some residual acidity created a pleasant finish.

Chianti Classico, Riserva (Tuscany). This Chianti had a ruby red color in the glass and a mild berry nose. Its flavor was dry and acidic.

La Crema Pinot Noir. This deep red wine featured an interesting toasted marshmallow nose, with cherry and plum notes leading into an oak finish.

As a group, this wasn’t the most stunning batch of wines, though they were all reasonably drinkable. The second tasting which I’ll report on later was more elaborate and featured somewhat more interesting wines.

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Price: $3
Maker: Charles Shaw Winery, Napa County, California
Varietal: Chardonnay
Packaging: 750 ml bottle, natural cork
Alcohol: 12.5%
Our Rating: 8 out of 10

Trader Joe’s Charles Shaw Blend Chardonnay (aka Two Buck Chuck) has a nice pear aroma, and flavor notes of pear and oak. It was medium bodied, and had good clarity. We’re not regular Chardonnay tasters, but this one was better than its $3 price tag would suggest.

Based on this wine, along with today’s tasting of the low-priced Golden Gate Pinot Grigio, it seems that it’s easier to turn out a decent cheap white than a good but really cheap red. We haven’t had much luck with low-priced reds from Charles Shaw, Crane Lake, and similar brands. The Charles Shaw Chardonnay, though, could be passed off as a wine that might sell for $5, if not $10. Opinions on this wine vary, but trend to the positive. The Sydey Morning Herald commented, “The cheapie chardonnay (christened early in the tasting as “Two-Buck Chuck”) wasn’t awful. While it didn’t really taste like a chardonnay, it certainly didn’t taste like rocket fuel. ” And Wine Sediments lists some kudos for the Charles Shaw Chardonnay, noting that it outscored far more costly wines in various competitions. Unspun thinks it’s “decent”, noting, “If you’re stuck drinking cheap wines, the nice thing is that it goes down fairly smooth — definitely smoother than a Vendage! — and doesn’t have an aftertaste that lingers beyond what you’d want.”

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Maker: Golden State Vineyards, American Canyon, Napa County, California
Varietal: Chardonnay
Packaging: 750 ml bottle, artificial cork
Alcohol: 13.5%
Our Rating: 7.5 out of 10

Golden Gate Chardonnay (non-vintage) is an innoffensive little wine that will gain a bit of flavor once the chill is off the bottle. Chilled, we found little aroma and thin flavor. We let the bottle warm a bit, though, and the wine aroma resolved into pear, melon, and oak. The flavor wasn’t quite as lacking, with spicy oak notes a bit stronger than the fruit. This isn’t an awful wine… it might actually be refreshing if gulped with a fruit-heavy brunch on a warm patio. Overall, though, it’s unlikely to make many “big chards” lists.

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Price: $8
Maker: Meridian Vineyards, Santa Barbara County
Varietal: Chardonnay
Packaging: 750 ml bottle, natural cork
Alcohol: 13.4%
Our Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Meridian’s motto is that life can be complicated, and that wine doesn’t have to be. Their Meridian Chardonnay 2004 fits the motto well. It’s nose hints at pear and cantaloupe, and these same notes continue onto the palate, along with a bit of grapefruit. The texture is a bit syrupy, and the finish has a nice twinge of acidity that makes this a refreshing and pleasant wine. Like the slogan, it’s uncomplicated… but it’s also quite good.

The Meridian website suggests pairing it with “a seaside picnic lunch of turkey burgers, a Sunday brunch omelet, or a lazy afternoon sitting on the patio with friend.” We’d forego the turkey burgers (blech!), but the other two suggestions sound fine. This is indeed an accessible and fun wine that would be fine for hot weather entertaining or serving with lighter dishes at any time of the year.

One interesting recipe on the Meridian site is for Chicken Caesar Pizza. (Not to be confused with Little Caesar’s Pizza. ) Though devoid of anchovies (we expect anchovies in any recipe claiming to relate to Caesar), the combination of a tangy Caesar sauce and Fontina cheese sounds tasty, and a fine pairing with this Chardonnay. We didn’t try the recipe, but the Meridian Chardonnay worked well with a Chicken Alfredo pizza from a local pizzeria.

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Last night, I was able to attend a wine pairing dinner at my club. It was an interesting evening, and I’ll share the highlights:

Frei Brothers Sonoma County Chardonnay, 2003. This Chardonnay began with aromas of melon and apple. The flavor was smooth, featuring green apple and pear. The finish was crisp and a bit spicy. There was a hint of acidity. Supposedly, Frei has cut back the oak aging from 12 months to just 8 to reduce the oak in this wine. The pairing was with Lobster Risotto in a Cold Gazpacho Sauce. The combination worked well, although this easy to enjoy Chardonnay would pair with many foods and be suitable on its own as well. The best part of this course was the crispy cup molded from slightly browned cheddar cheese.

Bridlewood Estate Winery Viognier, Central Coast, 2004. You won’t find much Viognier on your grocer’s shelf, although over time more vines are being planted around the world. The Bridlewood Viognier seemed a bit like a Chardonnay but tasted of peach and created a pleasing tingle on the tongue. The effect was due to light carbonation - not like a champagne, of course, and no bubbling was evident in the glass. All in all, it was an interesting and fun wine. The Viognier was paired with a Spiced Thai Chicken Roll with Roasted Heirloom Tomato. The slightly bubbly wine worked well with the spicy chicken roll and the sweeter, seasoned roast tomato. (Pairing the Thai chicken roll with a roas tomato was an interesting and unusual choice itself.)

Red Rock Merlot 2004, California. This merlot was the highlight of the evening. A currant aroma led to a mix of berry, oak, chocolate, and spice. This full-bodied wine is one of those less common wines that seems to light up all parts of one’s tongue. There’s a lot going on in that wine, and it’s unfortunate that it currently is being distributed only through the restaurant channel. If you find in on a wine list, it shouldn’t be too expensive - give it a try. The food pairing was equally robust - Veal Osso Bucco and Grilled Jumbo Prawns. The merlot held its own with the meaty gravy, flavorful veal, and smoky grilled prawns. Certainly, this was a fine combination of wine and food.

Bridlewood Estate Winery Syrah 2003, Central Coast. This Syrah was fine, though following the robust Merlot it seemed slightly diminshed. Blackberry, oak, and pepper led to a strong, even more peppery, finish. It was paired with an Organic Martini featuring Fresh Michigan Organic Greens Flavored with Tart Apple. The “martini” was indeed served in a martini glass, but seemed to be a well-chopped mix of slightly bitter salad greens and apple. Rather an odd dish, perhaps, that did little to improve the adequate Syrah.

Nachtgold Eiswien, 2004. This ice wine from Prestige Wine Group offered sweet pear and melon flavors. It has a mere 8.5% alcohol, and its texture is lightly syrupy. Paired with Bananas Foster, the ice wine was sweet enough to maintain its flavor. I don’t drink ice wine often, and the Nachtgold Eiswein reminded me of the simple, sweet pleasure of this kind of dessert wine.

Summary. This was a pleasant evening, with the best wines of the night being the Red Rock Merlot and the Nachtgold Eiswein. I’d encourage readers to look for these events at local fine restaurants, dining and country clubs, etc. While wine tasting events at a local retailer are both fun and a great opportunity to sample a diverse selection of wines, they can’t quite compare to a full set of food pairings in a formal dinner setting. If you’re lucky, you’ll enjoy not only a set of dishes that have been chosen with uncommon care for their unique flavors, but also a set of wines that have been selected by the chef and sommelier to work well together.

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