If you wanted to showcase one authentic Sonoma/Napa chard and one white Burgundy to explore the difference between them, which two examples would you pick for a tasting? Qualifications: 1) $40/bottle or less (UPDATED)
2) readily available to order online at least - local not necessary
3) representative of the “typical” style for the region - no need to overthink what typical means just basically a little oaky vs more mineraly/flinty. I know this could devolve into a pedantic discussion, but trying to keep it simple.
4) Not Rombauer or anything like that. Still want well made even if it’s not your particular style — but no grape murderers.
$25-$30 is not a range I know too much about in white Burg, but for a few more dollars I’d throw J.A. Ferret Pouilly Fuisse in the ring. Or J.J. Vincent Cuvee Marie Antoinette might do the trick if you really want to hit the $25 mark. Or Thierry Pillot Bourgogne Blanc. Probably a bunch more…
For US: mount eden Domaine Eden or Edna Valley. Both around $25. The basic Rivers Marie Chardonnay is also an excellent option in this range, though may be tough to find outside mailing lists.
For burgundy: neither of these are Cote de Beaune, but both are technically Burgundy: Louis Michel Chablis and Domaine de la Cadette Vezelay. Both outstanding QPRs, particularly the Cadette.
Along the lines of the Pouilly-Fuisse suggestion, the owner/winemaker of Guillemot-Michel has posted here some…their Vire-Clesse Quintaine is about 30 bucks and quite good.
I personally appreciate the Napa Chardonnay suggestions. I enjoy hosting tastings where I introduce White Burgundies to the anti-Chardonnay crowd who have had unfortunate experiences with Napa whites.
For me it is far easier to find fantastic White Burgs in this price range than Napa that are tasty. I try to be fair to Napa regardless of my personal opinion. Many Napa winemakers make a boatload of money producing oaky, buttery Chardonnays so who am I to judge? Many of the above suggestions are helpful.
Here are some of the Napa Chardonnays I have used in the past:
Amici
Beringer Private Reserve
Frank Family
Kendall Jackson Vintner’s Reserve (when I am dealing with entry level drinkers)
Updated the post to reflect a new budget of $40/bottle … gotten the group to pony up a bit more! Any further suggestions would be appreciated … Kevin isn’t far from the target on the point of the tasting.
I also want to steer clear from Cali producers working in more of a “Burgundian” style — which I’d rather drink, but alas … want to stick to a well-made example of “Cali-style” chard
Cakebread, or Shafer Red shoulder
Ramey and Grgich are also trademarks.
Tried to stay away from ones that are more niche although stony hill and others are classics. They are widely available and wines that people can purchase easily if they like it. There are other Chardonnay that are individually more appealing, but are probably too geeky.
I agree with Julie on Ramey from California. It should be available at $40. I would also look for Forman at that price. He has always tried to make his chardonnay to be Chablis-like.
Well … most WB’ers can probably guess which I preferred. It was mostly non-enthusiasts and the PYCM definitely converted a lot of “I don’t like/drink” chardonnay camp.
It might have been closer if you had gotten the Matthiasson rather than the Far Niente. Once at my office we had a chef come for a demonstration as part of our summer associate social program. He wanted us to supply the wine and gave things he wanted. One was a Chablis vs. a California Chardonnay. I got a Matthiasson for the Chardonnay. The chef was disappointed that it was good. He told me that he wanted to show how the Chablis worked better with the dish he was making than did an over-oaked California Chardonnay. I messed him up by bringing one that was good. I wish I had known what he wanted in advance.
In our market, you are pretty much not going to get White Burgundy under $40 unless it is Pouilly-Fuisse.
Ramey Fort Ross Seaview and Matthiasson are spot-on for this. Not Cali/French, but I just did a similar tasting recently and Hamilton Russell would be an excellent South African entry to compare in this tasting.