Bargain Chardonnay

There is a growing numer of wines that are produced by smart wine marketers.

These have no particular vineyard as their source but are the product of what are called Negociants in France.  Wine makers who buy grapes, vinifie and bottle and sell under their own name. The result, very often, is good inexpensive wine with very colorful labels.

Recently I tried a pair of Chardonnays.

itI found these of at Romany Liquors on Glenridge and Bloomfield Ave on my way to Raymond's on Monday night. Amanti Vino was closed, as they are every Monday , so I had to make do. Came across two interesting inexpensive wines that I just had to try.

The first was an Argentinian Chardonnay sold under the Funky Llama label. It can be purchased for as little as $6.00

Funky Llama is produced in the fabulous Mendoza area of Argentina. "It is meant to be fun and not complicated, Funky Llama is rich in fruit, low in price but not lacking in complexity. These wines are amazingly well-made, and they will hold their own as your new house wines no matter which flavor you end up liking the most. So just have fun! Get a little funky! And don’t make wine such a big deal. Remember, wine isn’t worth any hype at all, if someone isn’t enjoying it!" Cascade Trade 

Tasting the Llama again a day later. It is fine. nice fruit, pear, apple and above all no oak. This lets the pure essence of the Chardonnay grape shine. Nice acid, crisp and clean.

The next wine I tried was a french Chardonnay, also under 7 bucks. Lulu B. www.lulubwine.com The daughter of famous french wine maker,Louis Bernard, Lulu B. has become the icon for a wine targeted to US customers.

Lulu says "You will find Romance, Passion and "Art de Vivre" in every glass of my Syrah, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines. They are made with a delicious blend of my French Heritage and Terroir, New World Winemaking and a dash of "je ne sais quoi" inspiration."

I am not sure about all that, but it was a perfectly fine inexpensive wine, great for every day drinking.

I liked this wine in the moment, went fine with the Carrot and Curry soup and Roasted Chicken for dinner. By the way the Chicken was served with the tinyiest Brussel Sprouts I have ever seen, almost the size of peas. Delicious. 

Notice the design sense in the labels of these wines. Quite a departure from the classic labels that are usuallly found on wines from France.

This concept is carried in all directions, Marilyn Merlot and the Naked Grape Wine, Vampire, Yellow Tail, Frog's Piss, Fat Bastard, Cleavage Creek, etc. You can have your own name on a label if you like.

I want to track down this one, Mad Housewife. It looks like a lot of fun.

More here: http://www.rainierwine.com/

Comments

[Hayden]

You can custom create your very own wine at Crushpad in San Francisco. Check out www.crushpadwine.com. We just got our first Parker 92, which I bet is better than Mad Housewife!
Hayden