June 10, 2006

2004 J. Lohr Riverstone Estates Chardonnay

For $10, the J. Lohr Riverstone Estates Chardonnay (Monterey County) is a bargain. We liked it so much we drank a bottle two nights in a row - first with a salmon with a citrus sauce and last night with lemon/olive oil pork chops. My father-in-law, not usually a chardonnay fan, really liked this wine (Mmmmm. Very good, he said). So did the partner in tasting (PIT). So I picked up another bottle at Trader Joe's. I served this wine quite cold and liked it because it was smooth and light-- citrusy/pear in the mouth with a lot of vanilla (Big, big on the oak.) Nothing cloying or overblown about this chardonnay. Why it's called Riverstone? This from the winemaker:

The vines are grown primarily on Elder loam soils underlain by "riverstones" deposited over thousands of years from the Arroyo Seco River, allowing a four-foot rooting zone that keeps the vines¡¯ vegetative growth and fruit in balance. Additionally, the cool climate and winds of the Salinas Valley extend the growing season and retain the natural grape acids and intense varietal character of the Chardonnay.

Here are a few other reviews of this wine at wine.com.

Grade: 2 1/2 stars.....A notch above a solid table wine. I'm not big on a lot of chardonnay, but I'd buy six bottles of this wine to have on hand if we had room.

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