Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Chateau St. Jean Alexander Valley Belle Terre Vineyard Chardonnay, 2003

Can a wine lose its fruit and still drink beautifully? Logic says no, but this wine argues otherwise. Rich, buttery aromas are abundant, evidence of barrel fermentation. The luxurious, creamy feel on the palate demonstrates what nine months aging sur lie (on the spent yeast cells) can do for a Chardonnay. The beautiful limey flavors come from well selected French oak. All of those qualities create a wine that would produce ooohs and aaahs from most audiences. But where is that unique, spicey Alexander Valley fruit from Belle Terre Vineyard that justifies the $30 price tag? It's there but not as prominent as I would like and not as apparent as in the last bottle I had a month or two ago. With six years' aging and bottle variation (probably related to aging and storage), the winemaker qualities still overshadow those from the very fine Belle Terre Vineyard. It's possible that could change with more aging, but I doubt it. Fortunately, I didn't pay $30 but rather $13 on the closeout shelf at Harding's Market in Kalamazoo.
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5 comments:

  1. AnonymousJune 24, 2009 at 12:51 PM

    Fred, have you ever had the Eddie Ferraud Chateauneuf by any chance?

    Sorry...this is a bit unrelated to your post. I started thinking about fruit.

    ~Eric

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  2. Fred McTaggartJune 24, 2009 at 1:46 PM

    Eddie Feraud, I believe, is the uncle of Laurence Feraud of Domaine Pegau. I tasted the 1986(?) Eddie Feraud alongside Pegau when the importer first brought them into Michigan. At that time, I thought they were similar and comparable. Soon after that, a wine store in Detroit asked to have an exclusive on Eddie Feraud, and it was no longer available to me. But I would certainly buy one if I saw it at a reasonable price today.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousJune 25, 2009 at 3:00 AM

    Ah, Fred.

    Don't hate me because I'm beautiful. Hate me because I live in Washington, where wine can be shipped through the mail!

    Schneider's in Wash D.C. has the 2006 Feraud Chat for 19.99. 14 cases. Excuse me, 13 cases, now.

    ;>
    ~Eric

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  4. Fred McTaggartJune 25, 2009 at 9:15 AM

    Thanks, Eric. That is definitely a good price.

    Actually, I have two sons living in the D.C. area, and I'll probably be driving out there later this year. But I'm still seriously over-stocked and under-funded at this point.

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousJune 25, 2009 at 12:12 PM

    First Chicago, with the Binny's, now Washington, D.C. where they have Bassins!

    Fred, I'm starting to think I should put you in charge of my wine buying!

    ~Eric

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