Our Chardonnay has bright acidity and ripe notes of pear and Gravenstein apple. Slightly nutty and floral, it pairs well with a variety of fish and poultry. The Gardener, part of Horse & Plow Winery, utilizes organic farming, small lot fermentations, and traditional techniques to produce balanced, food-friendly, and site-specific wines. Organic vineyards throughout the North Coast of California, including Sonoma, Napa & Mendocino Counties, produce wines with greater complexity and a sense of place while caring for worker health and the environment. The wines are made naturally with no synthetic nutrients or additives, no GMOs, are vegan and contain low sulfites. Low-intervention winemaking further conveys a sense of time and place in every handcrafted bottle.
This Chardonnay comes from Viluko Vineyard located 1000 feet along the Mayacamas Mountains in Sonoma County. It was hand-picked, whole cluster pressed and fermented with native yeasts in French Oak barrels. We stirred the lees throughout malo-lactic fermentation and aged the wine for 9 months sur-lee. 250 cases were produced.
Specs
Varietal Composition: 100% Chardonnay
Vineyard: Viluko Vineyard
Appellation: Sonoma County
Farming: Certified Organic by CCOF
Harvest Date: 9/16/2019
Harvest Brix: 22.8 Brix
Barrels: 100% French Oak Barrels, 25% new
Alcohol: 13.7%
TA: 5.9/L
pH: 3.45
ML: 75%
Winemakers: Chris Condos & Suzanne Hagins
What’s Included
4-bottles:
4x 2019 The Gardener Chardonnay, Viluko Vineyard Case:
Horse & Plow Winery merges the best of old and new world techniques to produce authentic, hand-crafted wines from Northern California.
We started Horse & Plow in 2008 to merge the best of old and new world techniques and produce authentic, hand-crafted wines. Together, we draw on our different backgrounds and talents to craft original wines from organic grapes. We utilize organic farming, small lot fermentations and traditional techniques to make balanced, food friendly and site specific wines.
Our organic vineyards dot the North Coast of California; including Sonoma, Napa & Mendocino Counties. We work exclusively with growers who are committed to superior quality by using certified organic and/ or biodynamic techniques. These sustainable practices allow us to craft wines with greater complexity and sense of place, while caring for worker health and the environment.
Organic doesn’t stop when the grapes get to the winery- our wines are made naturally with no synthetic nutrients or additives, no GMO’s, are vegan and contain low sulfites. Most importantly, we make great wine! From crisp whites to rich reds, we have a wine to please every palate!
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, IL, IN, IA, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MT, NV, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, TN, TX, VA, WA, WI, WY
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations.)
2019 The Gardener Chardonnay - $60 = 28.57%
New rat coming in! I must disclaim that I am not a fan of Chardonnay. I steer toward other varietals when given a choice.
Upon PNP alcohol dominates the nose. Muted notes of canteloupe, petrol, and slate struggle to push through, but as the wine warms the alcohol does not dissipate. It had a thin mouthfeel and clinging acidity. I had some friends try it and unfortunately this wine was not for us.
Labrat time! As I’ve explained before, I tend more towards lighter reds and whites, and my charming Leo is a heartier red person – but he will drink and enjoy lighter wines without complaint.
I will cut to the chase: neither of us really cared for this. I’ll include more information of course, to help others decide, but Leo’s one word review was, as the kids these days say, “Mid.”
My first words after the first sip were something like, “The primary note I get is ‘alcohol.’” I struggled to pick out something more notable to say about the flavors. Unlike some recent bottles we’ve labratted, this had absolutely no lingering effervescence or zing on the tongue. Very muted fruit flavors. “Balanced” would probably be a good descriptor, in the sense that it was not particularly sweet or dry, not particularly fruity or oaky, etc. Slightly warmed, there’s a hint of the chard ‘butteriness’, but cold, I didn’t detect that.
Here’s charming Leo’s notes for me:
Nose: Primarily floral and fruit, though nothing specific. No earth or mineral notes. Palate: Seems to vacillate between buttery and crisp, leaning more toward crisp when chilled. General fruity flavor, though, again, nothing specific. Very slight spice note in the background when chilled. No effervescence. Flavors are not strong and dissipate quickly. Finish is lingering and slightly sweet, but inoffensive. At the risk of sounding insulting, it’s a very generic white wine. Nothing about it stands out. It’s not bad by any means, but…that’s it. Unlikely to inspire or offend anyone.
We both agreed that our biggest concern was that at this price point, especially for the split case, there are just better wines available off the shelf.
@TrinSF thank you. My appreciation for the Labrats is strong - considering the impulsive person that I am - especially when it comes to wine - came as close as you can from clicking for a case last night. Thanks for saving me from doing that and inadvertently awarding patience.
As a lover of Chardonnay (who is very much aware of what else it out there, knows that from 2014ish and on Chardonnay has been viewed like “Sideways” era Merlot, and wouldn’t dream of being embarrassed by my own taste) I would love to see a chard review that doesn’t qualify with “we’re not Chardonnay people.” Am on mobile or I would find a “there are dozens of us” gif. Nonetheless, I always appreciate the rattage, nice, thoughtful reviews
@murftastic I’m not particularly fond of Chardonnay, unless it is free of oak and butter, and then I can enjoy a clean, crisp glass (with the appropriate dinner).
@Mark_L@murftastic being in the Pacific Northwest makes this easier because there are a many good mid-line Washington chardonnays to be found at grocery stores in the $8-14 range. But I’ll admit I now would go to a Sauv Blanc or Pinot Gris at a similar price point.
2019 The Gardener Chardonnay, Viluko Vineyard
Tasting Notes
Specs
What’s Included
4-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
$432.00/Case for 12x 2019 The Gardener Chardonnay, Viluko Vineyard at Horse & Plow
About The Winery
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, IL, IN, IA, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MT, NV, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, TN, TX, VA, WA, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Jun 17 - Tuesday, Jun 18
2019 The Gardener Chardonnay
4 bottles for $69.99 $17.50/bottle + $2/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $149.99 $12.50/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations.)
2019 The Gardener Chardonnay - $60 = 28.57%
Hi all,
New rat coming in! I must disclaim that I am not a fan of Chardonnay. I steer toward other varietals when given a choice.
Upon PNP alcohol dominates the nose. Muted notes of canteloupe, petrol, and slate struggle to push through, but as the wine warms the alcohol does not dissipate. It had a thin mouthfeel and clinging acidity. I had some friends try it and unfortunately this wine was not for us.
Thanks to Alice for the rattage!
@witchbug77 thanks for the rattage report
Labrat time! As I’ve explained before, I tend more towards lighter reds and whites, and my charming Leo is a heartier red person – but he will drink and enjoy lighter wines without complaint.
I will cut to the chase: neither of us really cared for this. I’ll include more information of course, to help others decide, but Leo’s one word review was, as the kids these days say, “Mid.”
My first words after the first sip were something like, “The primary note I get is ‘alcohol.’” I struggled to pick out something more notable to say about the flavors. Unlike some recent bottles we’ve labratted, this had absolutely no lingering effervescence or zing on the tongue. Very muted fruit flavors. “Balanced” would probably be a good descriptor, in the sense that it was not particularly sweet or dry, not particularly fruity or oaky, etc. Slightly warmed, there’s a hint of the chard ‘butteriness’, but cold, I didn’t detect that.
Here’s charming Leo’s notes for me:
Nose: Primarily floral and fruit, though nothing specific. No earth or mineral notes.
Palate: Seems to vacillate between buttery and crisp, leaning more toward crisp when chilled. General fruity flavor, though, again, nothing specific. Very slight spice note in the background when chilled. No effervescence. Flavors are not strong and dissipate quickly. Finish is lingering and slightly sweet, but inoffensive.
At the risk of sounding insulting, it’s a very generic white wine. Nothing about it stands out. It’s not bad by any means, but…that’s it. Unlikely to inspire or offend anyone.
We both agreed that our biggest concern was that at this price point, especially for the split case, there are just better wines available off the shelf.
@TrinSF thank you. My appreciation for the Labrats is strong - considering the impulsive person that I am - especially when it comes to wine - came as close as you can from clicking for a case last night. Thanks for saving me from doing that and inadvertently awarding patience.
@TrinSF thanks for ratting this
@WCCWineGirl I want to love every wine we rat, but I know that’s not the point. Every now and then, a wine just disappoints.
As a lover of Chardonnay (who is very much aware of what else it out there, knows that from 2014ish and on Chardonnay has been viewed like “Sideways” era Merlot, and wouldn’t dream of being embarrassed by my own taste) I would love to see a chard review that doesn’t qualify with “we’re not Chardonnay people.” Am on mobile or I would find a “there are dozens of us” gif. Nonetheless, I always appreciate the rattage, nice, thoughtful reviews
@murftastic I’m not particularly fond of Chardonnay, unless it is free of oak and butter, and then I can enjoy a clean, crisp glass (with the appropriate dinner).
@murftastic I regularly order Chardonnays when out. I would find this a lil disappointing in that setting.
@Mark_L @murftastic being in the Pacific Northwest makes this easier because there are a many good mid-line Washington chardonnays to be found at grocery stores in the $8-14 range. But I’ll admit I now would go to a Sauv Blanc or Pinot Gris at a similar price point.
Hmmm … sounds like the Metrick pinot that the rats dumped down the drain and we enjoyed with the caveat it needs a bit of time… another afwe wine? Ha!
My dad always drank chardonnay and would have gotten this if my card had arrived.
@marjoryk
One more day.
They won’t give you a temp #
@rjquillin they told me they shipped it. That if it doesn’t arrive by tomorrow to call. Pfft. Gonna have two pays onthere
@marjoryk Can’t imagine having only a single card, if it get hacked, you’re up shitt creek.