Sloppy Duchess.
Once upon a time, not too long ago in fact, there were several bastions of quality in Napa. Wineries who made solid, reliable wines regardless of the vintage. Franciscan was one of those. Their line up was consistently good from top to bottom. And their Chardonnay has always been a text book example of what California Chardonnay has become.
Big, elegant, and unrestrained, Franciscan's Chard has been something of a Duchess. But despite the favorable conditions for Napa Chardonnay in the 2007 vintage, this Duchess has gotten sloppy.
There's nothing inherently wrong with this wine, heck, we picked up a truckload of it on sale. But there's also nothing inherently lovable about it either. Kind of a disappointment given this wine's track record. Past vintages have been great.
It's got the basics in flavor components, but they come across disjointed. And it lacks finesse in its texture.
So, why did we pick up a truckload of it? Because it's still a very drinkable wine, it'll be good to have on hand at the holidays, and it was a steal. There aren't too many sub $9 Chardonnays out there worth seeking out.
We paid a net of $7.53 a bottle for this wine, but have seen it as high as $21.99. Our threshold for this vintage is $12.99. But with the rebate program on, it's a steal.
Rating: Drinkable, maybe even mildly pleasant, but nothing thought-provoking. The price is the real attraction.
Once upon a time, not too long ago in fact, there were several bastions of quality in Napa. Wineries who made solid, reliable wines regardless of the vintage. Franciscan was one of those. Their line up was consistently good from top to bottom. And their Chardonnay has always been a text book example of what California Chardonnay has become.
There's nothing inherently wrong with this wine, heck, we picked up a truckload of it on sale. But there's also nothing inherently lovable about it either. Kind of a disappointment given this wine's track record. Past vintages have been great.
It's got the basics in flavor components, but they come across disjointed. And it lacks finesse in its texture.
So, why did we pick up a truckload of it? Because it's still a very drinkable wine, it'll be good to have on hand at the holidays, and it was a steal. There aren't too many sub $9 Chardonnays out there worth seeking out.
We paid a net of $7.53 a bottle for this wine, but have seen it as high as $21.99. Our threshold for this vintage is $12.99. But with the rebate program on, it's a steal.
Rating: Drinkable, maybe even mildly pleasant, but nothing thought-provoking. The price is the real attraction.
