Reviews & Ratings

2008 Saintsbury Chardonnay "Carneros Unfiltered"

Winery: Saintsbury

Vintage: 2008

Wine Name/Vineyard: "Carneros Unfiltered"

Wine Category: Chardonnay

Grape blend: 100% Chardonnay

Bottle size: 750 ml

Region: Carneros

State or country: CA

Price: $18

Cases produced: 12,973

KWG Score: 89 (based on 2 reviews)

Ken's Wine Rating: Very Good (88)

Review date: December 11, 2010

Wine Review: This light yellow colored Chard opens with a green apple and mild oak bouquet. On the palate, this Chard is full bodied and shows slightly elevated acidity. The flavor profile is an oak integrated pear with notes of green apple peaking thru. The finish is dry and its vanilla oak flavors continue to linger after the wine is gone. This wine will appeal to oak lovers. Pair it with butternut squash ravioli with a brown butter sauce. Enjoy – Ken

Winemaker Notes: We carefully choose the Carneros vineyards and growers from whom we will partner with each vintage. We augment these choices with estate Chardonnay grown in our own vineyards. We expect our Carneros Chardonnay to deliver vibrancy and rich mouthfeel. This wine completes malolactic fermentation in the barrel, which adds roundness to the mouthfeel and complexity to the aroma. Finally, our Carneros Chardonnay has been bottled without filtration since 1993 when we concluded that unfiltered Chardonnay delivers a more vibrant fruit character and a richer mouthfeel. We are now bottling this Chardonnay with a screwcap.

Buy it: Use 1000 Corks to find stores that sell Saintsbury 2008 Carneros Chardonnay.