Harken Barrel Fermented Chardonnay – Deliciousness is Calling

A toasty, buttery bottle of goodness, the Harken Barrel Fermented Chardonnay.

100% Chardonnay from California. The wine is 100% barrel fermented and 100% undergoes malolactic fermentation. It spends 7 months in 60% American and 40% French oak and has 7 g/L of residual sugar.

Sample submitted for review. The Harken Barrel Fermented Chardonnay has an SRP of $15 and is available for as low as $10.

Big, buttery Chardonnays – people tend to either love them or hate them. And while I normally fall into the second camp, this bottle took me by surprise the first time we tried it several vintages ago. It’s big and buttery all right, but it doesn’t hit you over the head with it and it’s balanced by a whole lot of fruit. And while we didn’t like it quite as much as the last time we tried it (when we rated it a Bulk Buy), it’s still quite good and a nice value at this price.

The 2018 Harken Barrel Fermented Chardonnay begins with a very pleasant aroma of apple, pear, baking spice, toast and freshly buttered corn. In the mouth this makes for a surprisingly tasty combo. It’s not overwhelmingly buttery or toasty it’s just overwhelmingly good. The wine is loaded with fruit (apple, pear and a little tropical fruit) but just slightly sweet. You’ll also find lemon custard, more baking spice and butter and light oaky notes along with good acidity in this medium to full-bodied wine. It ends dry, long and a bit toasty with lingering fruit and oak notes. It’s really delicious stuff.

Ready to buy? Check your local retailers.