Chateau St Michelle, Chardonnay, 2006
Chateau Ste Michelle is a volume producer from Washington. They make all the usual suspects, including this Chardonnay. We drank this along side the Emerson Pinot Gris (see earlier review). And while you might think that a (generally heavier) Chardonnay would handicap a (generally lighter) Pinot Gris -- instead, this Chardonnay actually tasted sweet. Yeah, sort of like a Riesling. Albee thought it tasted like a desert wine.
The nose was sweet lemon (no, not sour at all). Sage. Honey. Golden raisin. Currant. The taste was sort of apricot and honey. I just couldn't get over how much like a Riesling this wine tasted (hey, CSM makes Riesling too; maybe they mis-labeled it?). That sweetness lingered into the finish, which was a bit like bubble gum. Denise said it tasted like "raisins and honey". To that, I'd add peach. But that's about it.
This was definitely lighter-bodied when compared to the Emerson Pinot Gris. It wasn't horribly sweet. It wasn't terrible. It was just sort of weird.
Cost:
(gift)Rating:
5.5