Circling back to a topic that I wrote about a few months ago, the word that single handedly makes the face of so many people scrunch up and make weird faces.  The word that if you are actually a true wine lover, is perfectly ok to talk about.

Chardonnay!

It still boggles my mind the number of people who at the mere offer of a Chardonnay act as if you have just offered them a glass of gasoline laced with cyanide.  These people could never work in the wine industry.  Yes, there are wines I prefer over others, but there is nothing that makes me act the way those who "dislike" Chardonnay do.  The funniest part is that I could probably give them a glass of Chardonnay and not tell them what it is, and they would probably enjoy it.  This is because Chardonnay comes in so many styles.  Most think of the big buttery oaky Chardonnay from California, but there are so many crisp, light, and refreshing Chardonnay as well.  Alas, most of these people will never get the chance to experience them because they are too busy scrunching their faces and acting too pretentious.

Luckily, I work in the wine industry and know better than to pass on a chance to try new wines even if they might not be my favorite.  To be honest, Chardonnay is not my first choice of wine either, but you won't see my face get all distorted and seem as I am dying if someone offers me one.  Actually, I was offered the chance to taste through six different Chardonnay last week.  It was an opportunity to see how different Chardonnay can taste just based on how it is made.  They were light and crisp to big and oaky.  Of the six, one truly stood out as outstanding and as luck would have it, it was actually one of the least expensive of the bunch!

Diatom Santa Barbara Chardonnay 2021.  This Chardonnay was just outstanding.  It is aged in primarily stainless-steel tanks instead of oak barrels.  This allows the wine to be lighter and crisper instead of those big heavy oaky Chardonnays California is known for.  It had an elegance to it with a soft touch of minerality.  Bright apple and lemon fruits on the palate with a wonderful amount of acidity left me wanting more.  This wine is made by Greg Brewer, the 2020 Wine Enthusiast Winemaker of the year.  I would love to blind taste this with anyone who hates Chardonnay and see how they would react.  My guess is that they would actually enjoy it.

You can't judge a book by its cover.  Just because you tried a type of wine once does not mean you will dislike every type of that wine.  If the first burger you ever tried was a McDonalds burger and you hated it, it doesn't mean you would never eat a burger ever again.  You would try others until you found the one you liked.  It is the same with wine.  It is trial and error, expand your palate, be adventurous, but definitely give the diatom Santa Barbara Chardonnay a try!  It was delicious! 

diatom Santa Barbara Chardonnay 2021

-Patrick Mulrooney