Among the hills of Mendocino, from the unspoiled land in the heart of the regions, Ettore wine is born. Our philosophy is that by farming organically, we produce the purest and most flavorful fruit. This holistic approach of balancing the land and bonding all natural elements makes wine of unparalleled quality with depth and personality.
A deep straw-yellow color with golden reflections. In the nose, it presents a fine but penetrating bouquet: notes of white flowers and exotic fruits, accompanied by buttery and vanilla nuances. In the mouth, it is elegant with a pleasant, lingering structure that accompanies it toward a soft, yet flavorsome finish.
Specs
Type of wine: White wine made with organic grapes
Grapes: Chardonnay ā picked by hand
Age of vines: Vine plots of 7, 27, and 28 years old
Soil: Mostly gravely, benchland loamy soils
Altitude: 500-600 feet above sea level
Origin/location: Sanel Valley Vineyards/Hopland, the southernmost town in Mendocino County
Expressing the best of Mendocinoās complex terroir, our wines channel the soul of their abundant natural surroundingsāand are only produced from organic, hand-harvested, and estate-grown grapes. From aromatic and elegant Chardonnay to deeply rich Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, Ettore Biraghi brings his Old World Italian winemaking heritage to the New World, crafting wines of finesse and power, elegance and purity.
Located in Hopland, California in Mendocinoās Sanel Valley, our winery is more than one hundred years old. Situated directly at the foot of the mighty Duncan Peakāwhose refreshingly cool air assists the ripening of our organic grapesāour 64 acre estate is planted to 35 acres of vineyards which are interspersed with cover crops to promote and sustain ecological balance. Local workers spread compost and organic fertilizers, while also tending to the flora and fauna in the surrounding area. Our grapes are all hand-harvested at just the right moment, picked not just by our dedicated vineyard workers, but by all company employee including the owners.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, ME, MD, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TX, VT, VA, WA, WI, WY
@kookie00@mattykillpatty Well the only thing I know about smoke is that here in the Midwest Iām worried about smoke taint on my maters and peppers itās so bad!
I got a wonderful email from Alice last week and received a bottle of 2018 Ettore Pure Chardonnay and a Casemates glass.
Before I get into the review a couple caveats: 1. It is smokey as heck here due to the Canadian wildfires, so my nose is off today. 2. I am not a big chard fan as I canāt stand the over-oaked chards that are so prevalent nowadays. But this bottle luckily was unoaked (YA!), but I donāt have a ton of comparison points. Iām reviewing this as more of a sauv blanc/pinot grigio guy.
I laid this down in the wine fridge for a few days and PnPed it yesterday (Tuesday). The cork broke upon opening. I didnāt notice any apparent problems with it visually, though.
The color was straw yellow, typical for a chard. The nose (see caveat above) is butter and vanilla. On tasting, the most notable thing is its structure. It starts a bit weak, but rapidly opens up and has a lingering finish. Mid-palate I taste citrus, but an unfamiliar one (I donāt mean this in a bad way, itās just unrecognizable). The classic chard butter flavor lingers on the tongue. At first taste, the finish was suggestive of grass, but after it opens up for a while it moves more into straw territory. The alcohol also seems to linger on the back of the tongue.
My verdict: I like it. If you are in the market for a non-traditional chard, this is a good choice. PQR I think this is a pretty compelling buy. It is rare to see unoaked chards at this price point. Iāve mainly encountered them at wineries at more of a $30 price point. As a white sauv blanc/pinot grigio guy, Iām thinking hard about this one.
I saved a glass for tomorrow. Iāll update if there are any changes in my opinion.
Next day update.
Mouthfeel and structure have improved. Butter notes are now more pronounced almost bordering pastry creme. The citrus notes have subsided.
Well Enthusiast had this to say:
Ettore 2018 Pure Organic Grapes Chardonnay (Mendocino) 91 Points. This mellow, mature and handsome wine pours out butterscotch, toasted almond, peanut brittle and crĆØme caramel flavors wrapped in a full body and luxuriously viscous texture. Itās an indulgence worth indulging in and contains no added sulfites. ā Jim Gordon 12/31/21
I am probably the wrong consumer for this wine, if not the worst possible labrat for this. WineDavid, George and Cindy really should know better after the better part of 2 decades of hearing me talk about Chard-OH-NO! So I laughed my ass off when I opened the labrat package and saw what was inside.
While I like a nice Chablis, I generally dislike most Chardonnay, especially the stuff from California. Chardonnay doesnāt do well with new oak, and ML takes what little character it has on its own and makes it taste like the bottom of a bucket of day-old movie theater popcorn. (Sorry, Kendall-Jackson and Rombauer fans, you have defective palates.)
So please consider this review and these tasting notes accordingly ā i.e., with several dump trucks worth of salt.
Right out of the fridge, this was very unpleasant. My wife (who has an excellent palate and who generally enjoys NZ Sauv Blancs) had 2 sips and then passed me her glass. To be fair, while one should generally probably try to taste Chardonnay as little as possible, serving wine at under 40 degrees is not going to let it shine. So definitely serve this one warmer than you would expect for a typical white wine and DO NOT DRINK IT AT FRIDGE TEMPERATURE.
As it warmed up, it opened up a bit. Unfortunately, it let more of the Chardonnay character out. (The things I suffer for you people.) Thereās definitely malolactic here, which isā¦ certainly a choice. Just not one that I would have made. Thankfully, thereās only a bit of oak ā maybe staves or inserts? It doesnāt taste like all new oak, thank God for small miracles. (As I enter this in, I read the website copy and see that itās aged in stainless steel. But that doesnāt mean that it didnāt have some sort of oak treatment like dust or staves, as Iām definitely getting vanillins and lactones from somewhere). But there are still those awkward vanilla and butter notes that clash with what Chardonnay fans consider to be āflavorā.
As it warms, it softens and approaches being flabby but doesnāt quite get there. It has enough structure and acidity to hold it all together, barely, like Spanx strained to the limit, for whatever the āitā is for Chardonnay. Itās not my style ā certainly a new world, Cali Chard ā but itās not over the top or too aggressive with the oak.
On the nose, itās white flowers and old lady perfume sprayed on under-ripe golden delicious apples, with some Molly McButter flakes sprinkled on top.
As it goes from the midpalate to the finish, it actually gets more focused, which is kind of impressive. The finish is reasonably long, and doesnāt quite have the usual Chardonnay āacid refluxā tasting note. Itās ānot unpleasantā ā again, mostly those under-ripe yellow apples, with a bit of butter and vanilla, sweeter than the attack and the hose, but it works much better on the finish.
Thankfully, I am spared of having tasted through this enological equivalent to the Supermarket Checkout Lane Romance Novel genre, so I luckily lack the scarred and savaged palate that would allow me to place this among other California Chardonnays. (Really, I donāt know why this stuff is so popular when there are Rhone whites and Gruner).
I didnāt know the price point when I tasted this, but even at the 4-bottle price, this seems like a screaming value if youāre into this sort of thing. I would buy this for my mother-in-law ā and in fact, Iām saving the remaining half bottle for her visit this weekend. (Just to be clear, I really LIKE my mother-in-law, so Iām not trying to punish her or anything by saving it for her).
The bottle also looks nice, with white wax that came off easily (which my mechanically-challenged wife hates). The label is clean and modern, and this looks much more expensive than it is. It would also be a nice ābring-along giftā for someone who likes this sort of thing if youāre invited over for dinner.
My $0.02 ā definitely get this if youāre one of those people who likes new world-style Chardonnay that isnāt absurdly over the top. Itās hard to argue with the QPR.
But next time, Petite Sirah for me, please. I can be much more helpful there
@PetiteSirah This needs to be saved for the list of all time best labrat reviews. Both entertaining and informative! Worth a re-read - Raise a glass to PS!
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations).
2018 Ettore Pure Chardonnay - $40 = 26.65%
As for any thoughts of smoke taint I am happy to say that there were no fires in the Hopland area which affected the 2018 harvest. The 2018 Pure is a clean, crisp chardonnay and a great addition to a warm summer day.
This is an unoaked Chardonnay and it so well structured it does give some people a slight illusion of the presence of oak, but be assured this wine is aged strictly in tank with no oak staves having touched this wine.
Iām in for a case. If anyone is in or near San Francisco I can share some. Oh, and I broke down and paid for the unlimited shipping. So no added shipping cost!
2018 Ettore Pure Chardonnay, Mendocino
91 Points, James Suckling
Tasting Notes
Specs
Whatās Included
4-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
$336.00/Case for 12x 2018 Ettore Pure Chardonnay, Mendocino at Ettore Winery
About The Winery
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, ME, MD, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TX, VT, VA, WA, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Jul 17 - Tuesday, Jul 18
2018 Ettore Pure Chardonnay
4 bottles for $49.99 $12.50/bottle + $2/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $109.99 $9.17/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
Intrigued. Looking forward to some rats. Curious if the 2018 Mendocino Complex fire tainted this at all.
@mattykillpatty I didnāt notice any smoke taint.
@kookie00 @mattykillpatty Well the only thing I know about smoke is that here in the Midwest Iām worried about smoke taint on my maters and peppers itās so bad!
I got a wonderful email from Alice last week and received a bottle of 2018 Ettore Pure Chardonnay and a Casemates glass.
Before I get into the review a couple caveats: 1. It is smokey as heck here due to the Canadian wildfires, so my nose is off today. 2. I am not a big chard fan as I canāt stand the over-oaked chards that are so prevalent nowadays. But this bottle luckily was unoaked (YA!), but I donāt have a ton of comparison points. Iām reviewing this as more of a sauv blanc/pinot grigio guy.
I laid this down in the wine fridge for a few days and PnPed it yesterday (Tuesday). The cork broke upon opening. I didnāt notice any apparent problems with it visually, though.
The color was straw yellow, typical for a chard. The nose (see caveat above) is butter and vanilla. On tasting, the most notable thing is its structure. It starts a bit weak, but rapidly opens up and has a lingering finish. Mid-palate I taste citrus, but an unfamiliar one (I donāt mean this in a bad way, itās just unrecognizable). The classic chard butter flavor lingers on the tongue. At first taste, the finish was suggestive of grass, but after it opens up for a while it moves more into straw territory. The alcohol also seems to linger on the back of the tongue.
My verdict: I like it. If you are in the market for a non-traditional chard, this is a good choice. PQR I think this is a pretty compelling buy. It is rare to see unoaked chards at this price point. Iāve mainly encountered them at wineries at more of a $30 price point. As a white sauv blanc/pinot grigio guy, Iām thinking hard about this one.
I saved a glass for tomorrow. Iāll update if there are any changes in my opinion.
@kookie00 thank you for the rattage
Next day update.
Mouthfeel and structure have improved. Butter notes are now more pronounced almost bordering pastry creme. The citrus notes have subsided.
Well Enthusiast had this to say:
Ettore 2018 Pure Organic Grapes Chardonnay (Mendocino) 91 Points. This mellow, mature and handsome wine pours out butterscotch, toasted almond, peanut brittle and crĆØme caramel flavors wrapped in a full body and luxuriously viscous texture. Itās an indulgence worth indulging in and contains no added sulfites. ā Jim Gordon 12/31/21
A little winery blurb here although it discusses a different wine:
https://www.gusclemensonwine.com/ettore-wine-chardonnay-zero-mendocino-2018/
fwiw
@kaolis Well, when I indulge, I do seek an indulgence worth indulging in.
I am probably the wrong consumer for this wine, if not the worst possible labrat for this. WineDavid, George and Cindy really should know better after the better part of 2 decades of hearing me talk about Chard-OH-NO! So I laughed my ass off when I opened the labrat package and saw what was inside.
While I like a nice Chablis, I generally dislike most Chardonnay, especially the stuff from California. Chardonnay doesnāt do well with new oak, and ML takes what little character it has on its own and makes it taste like the bottom of a bucket of day-old movie theater popcorn. (Sorry, Kendall-Jackson and Rombauer fans, you have defective palates.)
So please consider this review and these tasting notes accordingly ā i.e., with several dump trucks worth of salt.
Right out of the fridge, this was very unpleasant. My wife (who has an excellent palate and who generally enjoys NZ Sauv Blancs) had 2 sips and then passed me her glass. To be fair, while one should generally probably try to taste Chardonnay as little as possible, serving wine at under 40 degrees is not going to let it shine. So definitely serve this one warmer than you would expect for a typical white wine and DO NOT DRINK IT AT FRIDGE TEMPERATURE.
As it warmed up, it opened up a bit. Unfortunately, it let more of the Chardonnay character out. (The things I suffer for you people.) Thereās definitely malolactic here, which isā¦ certainly a choice. Just not one that I would have made. Thankfully, thereās only a bit of oak ā maybe staves or inserts? It doesnāt taste like all new oak, thank God for small miracles. (As I enter this in, I read the website copy and see that itās aged in stainless steel. But that doesnāt mean that it didnāt have some sort of oak treatment like dust or staves, as Iām definitely getting vanillins and lactones from somewhere). But there are still those awkward vanilla and butter notes that clash with what Chardonnay fans consider to be āflavorā.
As it warms, it softens and approaches being flabby but doesnāt quite get there. It has enough structure and acidity to hold it all together, barely, like Spanx strained to the limit, for whatever the āitā is for Chardonnay. Itās not my style ā certainly a new world, Cali Chard ā but itās not over the top or too aggressive with the oak.
On the nose, itās white flowers and old lady perfume sprayed on under-ripe golden delicious apples, with some Molly McButter flakes sprinkled on top.
As it goes from the midpalate to the finish, it actually gets more focused, which is kind of impressive. The finish is reasonably long, and doesnāt quite have the usual Chardonnay āacid refluxā tasting note. Itās ānot unpleasantā ā again, mostly those under-ripe yellow apples, with a bit of butter and vanilla, sweeter than the attack and the hose, but it works much better on the finish.
Thankfully, I am spared of having tasted through this enological equivalent to the Supermarket Checkout Lane Romance Novel genre, so I luckily lack the scarred and savaged palate that would allow me to place this among other California Chardonnays. (Really, I donāt know why this stuff is so popular when there are Rhone whites and Gruner).
I didnāt know the price point when I tasted this, but even at the 4-bottle price, this seems like a screaming value if youāre into this sort of thing. I would buy this for my mother-in-law ā and in fact, Iām saving the remaining half bottle for her visit this weekend. (Just to be clear, I really LIKE my mother-in-law, so Iām not trying to punish her or anything by saving it for her).
The bottle also looks nice, with white wax that came off easily (which my mechanically-challenged wife hates). The label is clean and modern, and this looks much more expensive than it is. It would also be a nice ābring-along giftā for someone who likes this sort of thing if youāre invited over for dinner.
My $0.02 ā definitely get this if youāre one of those people who likes new world-style Chardonnay that isnāt absurdly over the top. Itās hard to argue with the QPR.
But next time, Petite Sirah for me, please. I can be much more helpful there
@PetiteSirah LoL duly noted. It is interesting though to hear about Chard from a non Chard drinker.
@PetiteSirah nope, I knew this was the review I look for when I saw:
ābarely, like Spanx strained to the limitā #ded
/giphy spanx-strained
@PetiteSirah snobā¦
@PetiteSirah WONDERFUL notes
@kaolis thank you!
@ttboy23 thanks! Too much winelibrary.tv right when I was getting into wine. I try to have fun with this sort of thing.
@PetiteSirah great rattage on several levels.
@PetiteSirah This needs to be saved for the list of all time best labrat reviews. Both entertaining and informative! Worth a re-read - Raise a glass to PS!
@woopdedoo
Iām happy to do it as often as @winedavid39 loops me in!
@PetiteSirah @woopdedoo careful, you might get more chardonnay to rat!
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations).
2018 Ettore Pure Chardonnay - $40 = 26.65%
Hello forum, I am the National Sales Manager for Ettore Winery and I would love to answer any questions you might have.
As for any thoughts of smoke taint I am happy to say that there were no fires in the Hopland area which affected the 2018 harvest. The 2018 Pure is a clean, crisp chardonnay and a great addition to a warm summer day.
This is an unoaked Chardonnay and it so well structured it does give some people a slight illusion of the presence of oak, but be assured this wine is aged strictly in tank with no oak staves having touched this wine.
@rlopez222 My read on the oak influence was more from the vanilla notes, but I guess itās the particular ML output that registers as vanilla.
@PetiteSirah I totally agree with you! I believe itās the ML that can provide impressions of butter, creaminess and/or sweetness.
Iām in for a case. If anyone is in or near San Francisco I can share some. Oh, and I broke down and paid for the unlimited shipping. So no added shipping cost!
Thank you for the support Winecatlady!