The color of this wine has a medium golden hue from the slow barrel fermentation in 2, 3 and 4-year-old Francios Frerre burgundy barrels.
Aromatically the aromas possess medium and lightly toasted vanilla notes which are enveloped in lemon verbena. The palate is rich with honey, ripe pear and baked apple tart flavors which bounce off additional textured custard notes. The wine has a long finish with opulent Tahitian vanilla, caramel, and toast while allowing just the right amount of tropical acidity in the form of guava, mango, and passionfruit.
Winemaking Notes
This wine was made from grapes grown at the Arroyo Loma Vineyard in King City within Monterey by famed Central Coast grower Steve McIntyre. The vineyard is sustainable and farmed organically, but not certified. The grapes were picked cool at night, the whole cluster pressed and barrel fermented on the natural lees and put through 100% malo-lactic. It was aged in a barrel without stirring for 18 months.
Vinum Cellars was founded in 1997 by first-generation, California family winemakers Richard Bruno and Chris Condos in the Napa Valley financing their dream on credit cards. The focus was then and remains searching Californiaās coastal vineyards and special microclimates in search of the best vineyards grown by the stateās best growers. Each wine is literally handcrafted from single vineyards and made with a small lot of philosophy. From Coastal Chardonnay and Pinot Noir to Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Vinum makes varietal wines from single vineyards and appellations throughout California.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
I was excited to get the email and took every opportunity to make it as blind a tasting as possible.
It was a warm ride in the back of the Big Brown Box, so in to the freezer for 45 minutes, then the fridge for an hour. We popped and poured after dinner due to some deadlines that popped up during WFH. Ugh. So by then the wine was probably pretty close to 40F.
Color was a light straw. Not Sauv Blanc pale, but very much approaching. No pink, not even a whole lot of golden.
Smell featured oak, honeysuckle, and oak. Woody oak to boot. I didnāt get any of the vanilla, brown sugar, toasty oak, but just āwoodā. My wife thought it smelled a bit funky, but i kept just getting staves.
Taste had a little more to give, but not much. Let me remind the reader, i hadnāt seen the bottle, been told variety, age, etc. I got more of the honeysuckle, and tried to pick out a stone fruit ā any peach? Not a lot. Not tropical (banana, mango). Not even apple-y.
I did pick up a hit of lemon pith and i liked the tart bitterness. It balanced the heftiness the wine carried.
At this point i knew it wasnāt a light white, kind of assumed Chardonnay but Roussanne could have been in play. I was then told what we were drinking and it seemed to line up well.
I let half a glass warm on the counter as i went about the rest of the evening and that really helped bring out fruits and smells. The wood and white flower remained prominent with some newly found green apple and Asian pear.
Short answer: a weighty New World chard that doesnāt have a lot of butter and is best served with only a slight cooling-off.
I still have half of the bottle that iām going to cork and put back in the fridge for another take tomorrow!
So my lovely wife calls me at work today (essential job) and says the UPS man dropped off something from Casemates. I immediately looked at email and discovered weāre Lab Ratting tonight. Lovey wife opens the wine and says ādinner plans have changed drasticallyā. Damn. I love Taco Tuesday, but Iām up for a good wine pairing. What she does during the day at this time is a mystery to me, but I came home to this situation- Thereās candles burning, Barry White is playing on the stereo and she gives me that look and says āitās date nightā. Allrighty then, sheās been cooped up after all, and thanks to Casemates we needed this exercise! We started with an appetizer of Brie & Blue cheese, followed by grilled cedar planked wild salmon, grilled asparagus with balsamic glaze and dusted with grated Parmesan and Asiago ravioli with home made pesto. The Vinum 2017 Chardonnay paired wonderfully with everything, even the asparagus really, but especially the salmon. Absolutely lovely. The wine has a beautiful light straw color. The nose has a nice toasted vanilla and oak hint, a little lemon, with some tropical fruit notes, and sweet apple. It is super creamy, with notes of honey, vanilla, and ripe pineapple. Just enough acidity to hang in there with food. The finish leaves you longing for more. We liked it. Buy it. Iām going to and look forward to pairing some with some summer dishes.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2017 Vinum Cellars Chardonnay - $40 = 26.66%
Wow this has been the quietest Iāve seen this for a while. Thank you to the rats; other than them, almost nobody has written anything.
It seems hard to resist at <$10 for case price and not needing a trip to a store, but in general I have not been fond of Central Coast chardonnay (or red wines for that matter.) I donāt think they are bad, just not to my taste preference. I suspect my tastes are more like first rat, though I do agree it was probably too cold the first taste, and it was good news that it was ābetterā second day, maybe with both time and warming. I often leave whites at cool room temp.
Living in the Northwest Iām used to very affordable decent everyday white wines, and the taste profiles are definitely different than Central Coast. Iāll go South into California (wine-wise) to about the Russian River Valley or Lake County for Sauvignon Blancs, for example. Those can be excellent.
@pmarin Iām in the same boat ā short of WineSmith Faux Chablis, i canāt think of a California Chardonnay that iāve straight-up loved. A few Oregon Chards have piqued my interest, but if iām wanting that grape iāll head to straight to Chablis.
This would be a wine iād be happy to serve for friends who want a āwhite wineā. Itās not buttery, itās not highly acidic. Right in the middle and the case price is perfect for this wine.
Tasting Notes
Winemaking Notes
Specs
Included in the Box
Price Comparison
$216 a Case at Vinum Cellars
About The Winery
Winery:Vinum Cellars
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Thursday, May 14th - Monday, May 18th
Vinum Cellars Chardonnay
4 bottles for $49.99 $12.50/bottle + $2/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $109.99 $9.17/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2017 Vinum Cellars Chardonnay
Greetings all!
I was excited to get the email and took every opportunity to make it as blind a tasting as possible.
It was a warm ride in the back of the Big Brown Box, so in to the freezer for 45 minutes, then the fridge for an hour. We popped and poured after dinner due to some deadlines that popped up during WFH. Ugh. So by then the wine was probably pretty close to 40F.
Color was a light straw. Not Sauv Blanc pale, but very much approaching. No pink, not even a whole lot of golden.
Smell featured oak, honeysuckle, and oak. Woody oak to boot. I didnāt get any of the vanilla, brown sugar, toasty oak, but just āwoodā. My wife thought it smelled a bit funky, but i kept just getting staves.
Taste had a little more to give, but not much. Let me remind the reader, i hadnāt seen the bottle, been told variety, age, etc. I got more of the honeysuckle, and tried to pick out a stone fruit ā any peach? Not a lot. Not tropical (banana, mango). Not even apple-y.
I did pick up a hit of lemon pith and i liked the tart bitterness. It balanced the heftiness the wine carried.
At this point i knew it wasnāt a light white, kind of assumed Chardonnay but Roussanne could have been in play. I was then told what we were drinking and it seemed to line up well.
I let half a glass warm on the counter as i went about the rest of the evening and that really helped bring out fruits and smells. The wood and white flower remained prominent with some newly found green apple and Asian pear.
Short answer: a weighty New World chard that doesnāt have a lot of butter and is best served with only a slight cooling-off.
I still have half of the bottle that iām going to cork and put back in the fridge for another take tomorrow!
@radiolysis thanks for the rat report. Was it flabby at all? The ph number seems very high (wrong?).
@hscottk it was āweightyā and not particularly zippy, but i always associate that with modern style Chardonnay anyway.
@radiolysis Thank you for the report. And for trying to get that temp just right.
So my lovely wife calls me at work today (essential job) and says the UPS man dropped off something from Casemates. I immediately looked at email and discovered weāre Lab Ratting tonight. Lovey wife opens the wine and says ādinner plans have changed drasticallyā. Damn. I love Taco Tuesday, but Iām up for a good wine pairing. What she does during the day at this time is a mystery to me, but I came home to this situation- Thereās candles burning, Barry White is playing on the stereo and she gives me that look and says āitās date nightā. Allrighty then, sheās been cooped up after all, and thanks to Casemates we needed this exercise! We started with an appetizer of Brie & Blue cheese, followed by grilled cedar planked wild salmon, grilled asparagus with balsamic glaze and dusted with grated Parmesan and Asiago ravioli with home made pesto. The Vinum 2017 Chardonnay paired wonderfully with everything, even the asparagus really, but especially the salmon. Absolutely lovely. The wine has a beautiful light straw color. The nose has a nice toasted vanilla and oak hint, a little lemon, with some tropical fruit notes, and sweet apple. It is super creamy, with notes of honey, vanilla, and ripe pineapple. Just enough acidity to hang in there with food. The finish leaves you longing for more. We liked it. Buy it. Iām going to and look forward to pairing some with some summer dishes.
@efamily we can all use some exercise!
@efamily Casemates always pairs well with candlelight and date nights. Your wife is awesome!
MEALS! DEALS! EELS! AWESOME!
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2017 Vinum Cellars Chardonnay - $40 = 26.66%
Day 2 Rat Report:
More integrated oak today and shows better. Same general notes, but Iām not getting the same raw wood character. Much better!
Wow this has been the quietest Iāve seen this for a while. Thank you to the rats; other than them, almost nobody has written anything.
It seems hard to resist at <$10 for case price and not needing a trip to a store, but in general I have not been fond of Central Coast chardonnay (or red wines for that matter.) I donāt think they are bad, just not to my taste preference. I suspect my tastes are more like first rat, though I do agree it was probably too cold the first taste, and it was good news that it was ābetterā second day, maybe with both time and warming. I often leave whites at cool room temp.
Living in the Northwest Iām used to very affordable decent everyday white wines, and the taste profiles are definitely different than Central Coast. Iāll go South into California (wine-wise) to about the Russian River Valley or Lake County for Sauvignon Blancs, for example. Those can be excellent.
@pmarin Iām in the same boat ā short of WineSmith Faux Chablis, i canāt think of a California Chardonnay that iāve straight-up loved. A few Oregon Chards have piqued my interest, but if iām wanting that grape iāll head to straight to Chablis.
This would be a wine iād be happy to serve for friends who want a āwhite wineā. Itās not buttery, itās not highly acidic. Right in the middle and the case price is perfect for this wine.