Best Buy ~ Wine & Spirits “One of the Year’s Best California Chardonnays”
AROMATICS: Fig, apple, browned butter, mineral notes, and toasty oak.
PALATE: Broad, rich, and generous with persistent apple flavors framed by oak and hints of butter.
HARVEST: Night picked at 23.3° Brix. Whole cluster pressed.
FERMENTATION: Montrachet, M2, BRG, and EC1118 yeast, 100% stainless steel fermented at 55°F
AGING: Aged 6-8 months on 25% new American Oak, 100% Malolactic fermentation
FOOD PAIRING:
Shrimp scampi, Fettuccine Alfredo, Grilled Chicken or fish, vegetables with curry.
“The artist must be ready to be consumed by the fire of his own creation.” – Auguste Rodin
For centuries, winemakers have delighted in the unique spices imparted in their wines by fire charring oak barrels. Barrel Burner wines take the best the vineyard has to offer and complement the wine with alluring notes of toasted oak.
The Miller family’s California farming and ranching legacy dates to back to 1871, when William and Francis Broome moved from England to the West Coast of California and began farming in southern Ventura County.
The farming legacy passed down to William Broome’s granddaughter Elizabeth, and following her marriage to Robert Miller in 1942, the Miller Family became the steward of the farming business.
In 1973, the Miller family developed a vineyard in the Paso Robles highlands and named it French Camp for the Basque shepherds who once populated the area. The area had a special allure thanks to the largest day/night temperature swings, mineral rich soils and highest elevations in the regions.
The 1400 acres of French Camp provide the Miller Family with the highest quality fruit sources that help to create the highest quality wines.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2018 Barrel Burner Paso Robles Chardonnay - $23.99 = 19.99%
I just finished this bottle, so apologies if I slur my speech. TLDR: I didn’t love it, but this style also isn’t my thing. My pallet is highly, HIGHLY tuned to cabernet sauvignon, so dousing it with a chardonnay usually means I’m done for the night.
As with all white wine tasting, I started with the bottle from fridge cold, and let it warm up to room temp from there. My first sip was cold, clean, crisp, with a fast finish. Very mild buttery texture, but otherwise actually felt more like a sauvignon blanc than a chard. I got notes of (cashew?) white nut meat, and some warm weather fruit like mango. Very inoffensive, easy drinker. As it warmed up, vanilla became a little more prominent, but not to the extent I expected. Why did I expect more? With a name like “Barrel Burner”, I suspected this was from a heavily toasted oak barrel. For reference, my favorite chardonnays are aged in stainless.
After doing the initial assessment, I drank this while eating some tortilla chips and guacamole. Taking a sip of the wine after a bite would highlight the pepper spices of the food, and the food would extend the finish. I feel like this is a food wine, and might be best paired with a macadamia crusted halibut.
Now, as I started off mentioning, I finished the bottle. I had to. If you like “buttery” chardonnays, and you like drinking your whites much much colder than room temperature, this might be for you. I estimated the price at $18, so for half that at case pricing, it’s kindof a deal.
@tburritt Thanks, appreciate the detailed review and the honesty about it not being your type of wine at all. The tasting notes are still very helpful. Honestly it’s probably.not my kind of chard either, but does seem like a good « default white » especially at the case price. I tend to prefer WA state whites and some well-known brands have chard offerings in the sub-$12 range at store discounts. Or I’ll go to something more exotic like a northwest Pinot Gris or the rarer Pinot Blanc. or a minerally dry-style Riesling.
@tburritt as with @pmarin, thanks for detailing your approach and notes for a bottle seemingly not in your preferred wheelhouse.
One comment caught my attention
I finished the bottle. I had to.
Why?
Perhaps more with reds than whites, I’m nearly always curious to see what happens on subsequent days.
Given the name I understand the expectations, but listening to the vintner audio and video, some of those are put more in context.
Given the label and name, would not pull this off a retail shelf either unless there were some additional back label notes.
@rjquillin lol, of course nobody was forcing me to drink it all. But having a glass over the course of its many temperature stages left me an empty bottle. And my WWII-era grandmother instilled a “finish your plate” mentality that I’ve carried over to wine. Hasn’t failed me yet!
@kaolis I’ve never had an open bottle of white and said “y’know what, let’s see how she looks in the morning”. Credence to my earlier point, I also have a coravin that gets very little use
I can speak to the style. The chardonnay fruit from Paso Robles Highlands District has higher intensity of flavor and acidity than one would surmise, due mostly to the huge diurnal shifts, elevation and cold, cold nights. As we craft this wine, we do want it to have the influence of high quality French oak, and even when we push the % of new oak, the wine always fights back. To me it’s toasty-fig and bright apple–well balanced. I totally agree with the sentiment below on Pinot Blanc and mineral whites–but sometimes I love a wine like this with cracked crab and a tub of garlic butter.
86 Points. Lots of apple flesh and blossom as well as pear, guava and lemon-lime aromas show on the very expressive nose of this bottling. Browned apple and apple-bubblegum flavors show on the sip, along with a bit of oak. Texture is a bit flat. MK 7/1/20
90 Points. This Chardonnay offers aromas of sliced apples nose of lemon oil, white peach, brioche and suggestions of baking spices. The mouthfeel is rich, with nectarine, vanilla and crème brûlée flavors that linger on.
Drink 2021-2023, J. D’Angelo, February, 2021
@kaolis ahhhh, guava and nectarine, that’s what I couldn’t put my finger on. I guessed at mango, but now see it’s called out on the back label. Their food pairing suggestion of “vegetables with curry” could be a winner, per my aforementioned interaction with spice.
@kaolis@tburritt I made that food pairing suggestion, so I’ll vote it a solid match–I do try most matches in my kitchen. Never trust a winemaker who can’t cook!
@mommadeb Sangiacomo is a great vineyard in a much cooler area of CA. I would expect the BB to be a little softer, def less citrus, more tropical and broad. Stylistically, if Poundstone is 100% malo and French oak, they would have that in common.
BLUF: For those lashed into “I don’t have time to read” culture, I did not chill in advance, noted sour apple and perhaps kiwi with flinty minerality. It held up to food and had a good mouth feel. Not a flavor profile that I prefer but may be interesting for others.
Happy weekend! Fingers crossed for all those in the southeast and midatlantic facing more un-fun weather! So here’s more words for due-diligence: Earlier in the week I was lucky enough to receive a surprise single-bottle size box from one of the big delivery services- they seem to be getting somewhat nearer normal operations, though the true nature of the ‘new normal’ is still a little opaque to me. I rescued it from the porch and once Inside, unboxed a cool to the touch bottle, an white varietal with an interesting label- “oh no, not some ill-advised bourbon blending stunt”, says I!
And indeed it was NOT that!
So to step back for a moment to speak on the origins of the missive that follows: I have not had any formal training or coaching…or even any decent advice for that matter… regarding wine tasting. Although that may be changing this very evening, as a small local vintner put together an event benefiting charity, shipping samples of different varietals and a burette in preparation for an on-line, but still hands-on blending class. I generally prefer robust reds, though I don’t mind a pleasant white. I’m afraid that I’m not knowledgeable on the particulars of different crop-years or the traits and terrior of different geographic regions- but since my last rat I have at least added the term terroir to my vocabulary!
On unboxing the bottle arrived cool to the touch. I elected not to chill it, and let it hang out on the counter and take in the new surroundings for a couple hours before opening it at the end of the business day. For aroma, I noted prominent apple blended with some other scents that I had difficulty teasing out- except that for some reason licorice came to mind? Poured in the glass, the wine was on the yellow side of gold and a swirl showed a little bit of body or viscosity. Alcohol detectable but not crashing the party. On first sip I tasted a bold slug of green apple, assertive and sour but not puckeringly so. To me, it was not buttery, but I think that is one of the terms that I need to explore to get past a literal interpretation- the wine did have a pleasant creamy affect but I did not taste oak- again, could be me. Past the palate, I was thinking gunpowder…but then walked that back to ‘flinty’. I decided to let it sit and consider it’s ways while I put together a dinner…cooking for myself since the dog eats out of her bag, it’s one-pan or nothing so a modest pile of sweet peppers, mushrooms, a trace of scallions and a most chunk of sirloin were seared up in a light drizzle of walnut oil….and dumped on a plate.
The apple notes of the wine easily held their own, and the food did not quite mask that flinty element. All in all, whether beer or wine, sour isn’t something I seek out. In this case, I’d say apple perhaps with a trace of Kiwi was the main flavor profile, and that the secondary sour undertone may add some depth or intrigue for other drinkers. I think this would probably be priced in the economy range. My rookie palate and I will take a pass on this one, but very much appreciate the chance to try it!
Great job rats! Though very different styles, both are delightful reads. Your descriptions are so vivid I feel I might be able to pick the wine out of a blind tasting.
Thanks, as always, for the conversation, rats, mates and winos! I’ll keep my eye on the conversation, let me know if you have any questions I can answer!
The shipment arrived some time last week, we had a beautiful spring evening a few days later, so we popped a cork and totally enjoyed a few glasses of this, didn’t consider it very buttery at all, just a very light hint, & upon opening it was a bit too warm, so put it in a clay vessel with some ice (you know, like you see in those romantic movies) wife & I are very pleased with our purchase
2018 Barrel Burner Chardonnay, Paso Robles
Tasting Notes
Best Buy ~ Wine & Spirits “One of the Year’s Best California Chardonnays”
Specs
What’s Included
6-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
$201.25/Case at Barrel Burner for 12x 2018 Barrel Burner Chardonnay, Paso Robles
About The Winery
Link to Video
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IA, KS, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NM, NY, NC, OR, PA, SC, TN, TX, WA, WY
Estimated Delivery
Friday, May 21 - Tuesday, May 25
Barrel Burner Paso Robles Chardonnay
6 bottles for $59.99 $10/bottle + $1.33/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $95.99 $8/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2018 Barrel Burner Chardonnay
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2018 Barrel Burner Paso Robles Chardonnay - $23.99 = 19.99%
I just finished this bottle, so apologies if I slur my speech. TLDR: I didn’t love it, but this style also isn’t my thing. My pallet is highly, HIGHLY tuned to cabernet sauvignon, so dousing it with a chardonnay usually means I’m done for the night.
As with all white wine tasting, I started with the bottle from fridge cold, and let it warm up to room temp from there. My first sip was cold, clean, crisp, with a fast finish. Very mild buttery texture, but otherwise actually felt more like a sauvignon blanc than a chard. I got notes of (cashew?) white nut meat, and some warm weather fruit like mango. Very inoffensive, easy drinker. As it warmed up, vanilla became a little more prominent, but not to the extent I expected. Why did I expect more? With a name like “Barrel Burner”, I suspected this was from a heavily toasted oak barrel. For reference, my favorite chardonnays are aged in stainless.
After doing the initial assessment, I drank this while eating some tortilla chips and guacamole. Taking a sip of the wine after a bite would highlight the pepper spices of the food, and the food would extend the finish. I feel like this is a food wine, and might be best paired with a macadamia crusted halibut.
Now, as I started off mentioning, I finished the bottle. I had to. If you like “buttery” chardonnays, and you like drinking your whites much much colder than room temperature, this might be for you. I estimated the price at $18, so for half that at case pricing, it’s kindof a deal.
Cheers!
@tburritt Thanks, appreciate the detailed review and the honesty about it not being your type of wine at all. The tasting notes are still very helpful. Honestly it’s probably.not my kind of chard either, but does seem like a good « default white » especially at the case price. I tend to prefer WA state whites and some well-known brands have chard offerings in the sub-$12 range at store discounts. Or I’ll go to something more exotic like a northwest Pinot Gris or the rarer Pinot Blanc. or a minerally dry-style Riesling.
@tburritt as with @pmarin, thanks for detailing your approach and notes for a bottle seemingly not in your preferred wheelhouse.
One comment caught my attention
Why?
Perhaps more with reds than whites, I’m nearly always curious to see what happens on subsequent days.
Given the name I understand the expectations, but listening to the vintner audio and video, some of those are put more in context.
Given the label and name, would not pull this off a retail shelf either unless there were some additional back label notes.
@pmarin @rjquillin @tburritt Come now, as much fun as it is to see how day two treats a wine, sometimes sh*t just happens!
@rjquillin lol, of course nobody was forcing me to drink it all. But having a glass over the course of its many temperature stages left me an empty bottle. And my WWII-era grandmother instilled a “finish your plate” mentality that I’ve carried over to wine. Hasn’t failed me yet!
Back label for ya:
@kaolis I’ve never had an open bottle of white and said “y’know what, let’s see how she looks in the morning”. Credence to my earlier point, I also have a coravin that gets very little use
@kaolis @tburritt I could also see how this could apply to early life dating partners…
@tburritt Well the bottle did come with a warning: “alluring richness that will keep you coming back for more”
@forlich does what it says on the tin!
@tburritt
I can speak to the style. The chardonnay fruit from Paso Robles Highlands District has higher intensity of flavor and acidity than one would surmise, due mostly to the huge diurnal shifts, elevation and cold, cold nights. As we craft this wine, we do want it to have the influence of high quality French oak, and even when we push the % of new oak, the wine always fights back. To me it’s toasty-fig and bright apple–well balanced. I totally agree with the sentiment below on Pinot Blanc and mineral whites–but sometimes I love a wine like this with cracked crab and a tub of garlic butter.
I love this wine. Unfortunately Ohio is not on the distribution list.
the Wine Enthusiast says…
86 Points. Lots of apple flesh and blossom as well as pear, guava and lemon-lime aromas show on the very expressive nose of this bottling. Browned apple and apple-bubblegum flavors show on the sip, along with a bit of oak. Texture is a bit flat. MK 7/1/20
https://www.winemag.com/buying-guide/barrel-burner-2018-chardonnay-paso-robles/
International Wine Report…
90 Points. This Chardonnay offers aromas of sliced apples nose of lemon oil, white peach, brioche and suggestions of baking spices. The mouthfeel is rich, with nectarine, vanilla and crème brûlée flavors that linger on.
Drink 2021-2023, J. D’Angelo, February, 2021
fwiw
@kaolis ahhhh, guava and nectarine, that’s what I couldn’t put my finger on. I guessed at mango, but now see it’s called out on the back label. Their food pairing suggestion of “vegetables with curry” could be a winner, per my aforementioned interaction with spice.
@kaolis @tburritt I made that food pairing suggestion, so I’ll vote it a solid match–I do try most matches in my kitchen. Never trust a winemaker who can’t cook!
Chardonnay is usually not our thing. But surprisingly we fell in love with Poundstone 2015 Sangiacamo. Do you think we would like today’s offer?
@mommadeb Sangiacomo is a great vineyard in a much cooler area of CA. I would expect the BB to be a little softer, def less citrus, more tropical and broad. Stylistically, if Poundstone is 100% malo and French oak, they would have that in common.
@WesHagen thanks. Decided to try a case.
/giphy cheap-eternal-day
Happy weekend! Fingers crossed for all those in the southeast and midatlantic facing more un-fun weather! So here’s more words for due-diligence: Earlier in the week I was lucky enough to receive a surprise single-bottle size box from one of the big delivery services- they seem to be getting somewhat nearer normal operations, though the true nature of the ‘new normal’ is still a little opaque to me. I rescued it from the porch and once Inside, unboxed a cool to the touch bottle, an white varietal with an interesting label- “oh no, not some ill-advised bourbon blending stunt”, says I!
And indeed it was NOT that!
So to step back for a moment to speak on the origins of the missive that follows: I have not had any formal training or coaching…or even any decent advice for that matter… regarding wine tasting. Although that may be changing this very evening, as a small local vintner put together an event benefiting charity, shipping samples of different varietals and a burette in preparation for an on-line, but still hands-on blending class. I generally prefer robust reds, though I don’t mind a pleasant white. I’m afraid that I’m not knowledgeable on the particulars of different crop-years or the traits and terrior of different geographic regions- but since my last rat I have at least added the term terroir to my vocabulary!
On unboxing the bottle arrived cool to the touch. I elected not to chill it, and let it hang out on the counter and take in the new surroundings for a couple hours before opening it at the end of the business day. For aroma, I noted prominent apple blended with some other scents that I had difficulty teasing out- except that for some reason licorice came to mind? Poured in the glass, the wine was on the yellow side of gold and a swirl showed a little bit of body or viscosity. Alcohol detectable but not crashing the party. On first sip I tasted a bold slug of green apple, assertive and sour but not puckeringly so. To me, it was not buttery, but I think that is one of the terms that I need to explore to get past a literal interpretation- the wine did have a pleasant creamy affect but I did not taste oak- again, could be me. Past the palate, I was thinking gunpowder…but then walked that back to ‘flinty’. I decided to let it sit and consider it’s ways while I put together a dinner…cooking for myself since the dog eats out of her bag, it’s one-pan or nothing so a modest pile of sweet peppers, mushrooms, a trace of scallions and a most chunk of sirloin were seared up in a light drizzle of walnut oil….and dumped on a plate.
The apple notes of the wine easily held their own, and the food did not quite mask that flinty element. All in all, whether beer or wine, sour isn’t something I seek out. In this case, I’d say apple perhaps with a trace of Kiwi was the main flavor profile, and that the secondary sour undertone may add some depth or intrigue for other drinkers. I think this would probably be priced in the economy range. My rookie palate and I will take a pass on this one, but very much appreciate the chance to try it!
@smtcapecod Have you had a chance to revisit with a chill?
@smtcapecod Nice writeup! I love the discord in the highlights: buttery vs not
Great job rats! Though very different styles, both are delightful reads. Your descriptions are so vivid I feel I might be able to pick the wine out of a blind tasting.
Thanks, as always, for the conversation, rats, mates and winos! I’ll keep my eye on the conversation, let me know if you have any questions I can answer!
The shipment arrived some time last week, we had a beautiful spring evening a few days later, so we popped a cork and totally enjoyed a few glasses of this, didn’t consider it very buttery at all, just a very light hint, & upon opening it was a bit too warm, so put it in a clay vessel with some ice (you know, like you see in those romantic movies) wife & I are very pleased with our purchase