What's your favorite Chardonnay?

[jazzcat]

I love the R.J Philips Toasted Head. (a suggestion I got on this BB) What are your favorites?

[jd]

I'm not a big chardonnay fan, but would have to choose Cakebread as my favourite.

[Gail]

Ferrari Carano and probably Matanzas Creek. (hic!)

[gabbyh]

Chardonnay is our favorite...and although we usually stick to those from Western Australia, the area my husband is from...at the moment (actually as I'm typing ;-})we're drinking a Rodney Strong, Chalk Hill Chardonnay from California...lots of vanilla, green apple, pear, and pineapple...also the Beringer Napa Valley Chardonnay is really good...a very buttery vanilla smooth flavor...both are yummy!

[jazzcat]

Gabbyh, As I speak I am enjoying The Jacob's Creek. I believe that is from Australia. Very nice.

[maureen k]

I LOVE Chateau Montelena, big, yet has awesome acidity making it very fun for food pairing. Also love ZD Chard.

[maureen k]

Whoops!!! Forgot about all those great Monterey County Chards.
Having recently moved to the east coast from Monterey, I'm feeling a little homesick and missing Monterey and it's great wines http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/frown.gif

[JulieM]

I love Kendal Jackson!

[ama47369]

Jazzcat-The Jacob's Creek Chardonnay is the number one seller(of Chardonnay) in Australia(so I've heard). It is very good-isn't it?

A few more Australian Chardonnays that I love are Brokenwood, McGuigans Cellars, Mount Pleasant Estates, and Tyrrell's Wines. These are all from the Hunter Valley.

[gabbyh]

ana47369,
My husband is from the Margaret River Wine Region...out of Dunsborough...he concurrs about the Jacobs Creek...but he's partial to the West Coast ;-}...our favorite winery is actually Brookland Valley...we're on the phone at the moment with my in-laws from Australia...I'm hoping when I retire from nursing and we move to Oz, I'll get a job in one of the wineries as a PR person...

[jazzcat]

Any jobs for pharmacists over there? I've dreamed of going to Australia one day.

[gabbyh]

jazzcat,
I'll put my father-in-law on the look-out...he's always calling me about psych nursing jobs...I've just told him I think I'll be "changing careers"...I've decided the winery is for me!

[jazzcat]

Gabbyh, I'm with you. Near burn out in health care. Love the patients, just not sure about all those administrators. Not all, but I'm sure you get my meaning.

[gabbyh]

jazzcat,
Oh boy, do I ever! Although I am titled an "admin" I really do most of my work on the floors as a "clinical manager"...I love working with the kids, it's a great job...but "managed care" is killing us...probably why I'm drinking so much Chardonnay!

[jazzcat]

Ditto, I hear you!

[gabbyh]

sorry for the digression...back to the original question:
I just found another good one in the fridge that is available here in the states, at a very reasonable price...Seaview, McLaren Vale Chardonnay from South Australia "featuring peach and melon Chardonnay flavours, enhanced by soft nutty oak complexity"...I love reading the descriptions on the bottles...the only taste I can ever manage is the vanilla and sometimes another fruit...but I keep tryin' ;-}

[This message has been edited by gabbyh (edited 04-20-2001).]

[ama47369]

Gabbyh-

I haven't made it out to WA, yet. But, My husband is there now on business, he is somewhere near Perth (I forget the name-I think it's called Port Hedland). And, I work here in Brisbane, but all the people I deal with and help are actually in WA. They are always telling me I should go visit there for a while, and I really want to get out there.

http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gifAmanda

Ps-the wines that I have tried from the Margaret River are just beautiful!

[This message has been edited by ama47369 (edited 04-20-2001).]

[kwormann]

I couldnt pick just one, but I seem to gravitate to Australian and German for any whites!

Kim

[lanie]

I love Lindemans Bin 65 (Australian) and also when in the vintages Toasted Head - I love very oaky chardonnays.
Elaine http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif

[funnybone]

My favorite is Wolf Blass, another Aussie brand. However, I do like others - from Chile, the US, and Canada.

[Karen M]

Meridian http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[woodsl]

I love Chardonnay, but it's hard to choose. I guess I would have to ditto the Cakebread and Chateau Montelena.

gabbyh and jazzcat, I agree with you. Although I do not work in healthcare, when I retire (which I wish could be soon), I want to move somewhere beautiful and do something not very strenuous at a winery, or I want to move to Lexington, Kentucky and own a horse farm. Of course, my second option would require me to be very rich when I retire (probably not going to happen unless I win the lottery) and that I learn a lot about horses. But, if you have ever visited Lexington, Kentucky and driven around looking at those fabulous horse farms (especially in the spring when the new colts are running across the pastures with their mothers), you'd know why I have this dream!

[lindrusso]

Kendall Jackson is our favorite "affordable" wine. It's very good and only $8.99 at Sam's Club! We also drink Lindemans - another affordable one only $4.99 at Sam's!!!

If I could buy anything though, we like many of those mentioned - Rodney Strong, Chalk Hill (although I think we finally decided that it wasn't worth the higher price), Clos du Bois, Sterling Vineyards and others that I can't think of right now!!

[Alisa]

Wolf Blass is the best chardonnay I've ever tasted.

[emilycat]

I'm not a huge fan of Chardonnay; I tend to drink almost exclusively German and Alsatian whites, but I do love Toasted Head and Toad's Hollow. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[adb]

I am mostly a red drinker, but I had one I enjoyed that hasn't been mentioned - Indigo Hills. I had it at a restaurant when I wasn't paying so I have no idea how pricey it is, but I made a mental note of the name.

It is probably not a Chardonnay but my favorite white wine is Greco du Tufo. We had it in Sorrento, Italy on our honeymoon and I have only seen it on a wine list once in the States and never in a liquor store. If anyone is going to Italy, look for it - it is less than $10 a bottle over there!

[julia]

I like Louis Latour (for special occasions) and Santa Carolina from Chile. The Aussie ones are great too - Black Opal and Wolf Blass

[AndreaU]

I'm with lanie... hands down, Lindemann's Bin 65 from Australia. I never liked Chardonnay until I tried this one. We always keep it on hand whether we have guests or we are guests!

[heidibowman]

William Hill from Napa is very good. Buttery and crisp.

Has anyone tried the Rosemount Chardonnay? Not sure if we got a bad bottle or if the flavor was right...it tasted like sweet stinky cheese. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/eek.gif I've tried other Rosemount varieties which weren't bad.

[pmmahan]

My favorite is Chateau Sainte Michelle - I think it is from washington or Oregon. Its crisp but almost buttery. Extremely drinkable.

[lorilei]

I'll confess that I drink mostly red wine, but I've been persuaded of late by a few good Chardonnays and Semillons...

Hess makes a great Chardonnay -- buttery-lovely and perfect with seafood and great with chicken dishes. Black Opal is another (mentioned before) that swayed my palette in its direction.

[gabbyh]

heidibowman,
We've had the Rosemount Semillon Chardonnay 1998...and it's very good...depending on the year...I suppose. We usually buy that or Jacob's Creek as an "Aussie staple" and then alternate with the ones we have shipped over. Although with the dollar the way it is now...it's almost more economical to ship wine from Australia than to buy it in PA!

[Vanessa]

I like Chateau Saint Michell, RHPhillips is nice. In the summer I like PInot Griccio

[Katie-pie]

Chateau St. Jean and Murphy-Goode are so yummy and buttery...these are for special occasions. If I have guests for dinner I'll serve Lindeman's--it's a pretty tasty wine for the price. For everyday, I usually have a big bottle of Vendange which isn't too bad for the price. I also use it to cook with. Chardonnay is by far my favorite white! YUM!

[kbucky]

Gail--we LOVE Matanzas Creek...we spent some of our honeymoon in Sonoma and our B&B arranged a wonderful tour at Matanzas. Their chardonnay is soooo smooth and creamy. We've splurged and bought it a few times but it is pricier. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[SusanMac]

Now I know why the CL BB is so fun...everyone is drinking wine while they chat!

My favorite white wine is Evolution 9 (it's not a classic chard, but I'm more of a red drinker anyway)

heidibowman -- are you the same heidi that used to work at TA in Menlo Park??

[m4star]

Dallas Conti (that's the vineyard). It's from Chile- and it's fabulous!!

[KaliforniaKim]

I moved to California six years ago, and have since fallen in love with Chardonnays. I'm certainly not an expert, but here are some suggestions that have been winners for me (California Wines and "Not"):

1. Best Buy: Forest Glen. A Chardonnay under $10 that can be purchased for as low as $6.99 on sale. It's a smooth Chardonnay that almost everyone likes. I've had non-wine friends enjoy it as much as the real winees.

2. Better than KJ: I used to adore Kendall Jackson, but have found better selections in the same price range: Beringer Founders Reserve, La Crema, Sterling, William Hill, St. Supery, J. Lohr and Byington.

3. Non-California: Australia makes great Chardonnay, and at very competitive prices. I haven't had much luck with Rosemount, but Wolf Blass and Black Opal are very good.

4. $15-$20: Some great Chardonnays that are a little more expensive (and may be harder to find across the country) include: Bernardus, Simi, Steele, and Trefethen.

[Laura]

I haven't bought it in such a long time because it is too pricey, but Far Niente has always been my favorite.

[foodiedelite]

We mostly drink red wines. For chardonnay,
I like Markham (Napa). It's very light, crisp citrus hues and no after taste. Kendall Jackson and Mondavi also come to mind.

[lu lu]

Far Niente is my favorite by far. Too bad it is so expensive!