Hess Select Chardonnay – A Crowd Pleaser From California

A crowd pleasing California Chardonnay shows the way! Chardonnay Showdown Post #8

100% Chardonnay from California, aged in French oak for 9 months. SRP of $12 but available widely for $9-$10. Sample received courtesy The Hess Collection for review purposes.

From the bottle:

“The heart of this Chardonnay comes from our Shirtail Creek Vineyard in Monterey’s inland coastal valley, where cooling fog and coastal breezes make for ideal growing conditions. Lush tropical fruit characteristics of pineapple and mango are complemented by a bright finish. Ideal with light seafood dishes, fried calamari and goat cheese.
13.4% Alcohol”

The 2009 Hess Select Chardonnay exhibits aromas of green apple, pineapple, pear, and grass. It tastes of pineapple and green apple with plenty of oak but it works. Not very buttery. The finish is sweet mango with a bit of pepper and it lingers nicely. This is a simple, easy drinker, which is what you want in the heat of summer. Definitely a crowd pleaser that is accessible to occasional drinkers and at the same time won’t offend hard core winos. The wine was not quite as good on day 2 as it lost some of its sweetness on the finish so drink up!

See a listing of local retailers selling this wine here.

All ratings use a simple 10 point scale with 10 being the best. Find out more about my rating systemhere and check out the Interactive Wine Ranking to find all my reviews! You can sort by type of wine, cost, rating, etc. in the interactive spreadsheet.

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