Friday, February 23, 2018

2016 J. Lohr Arroyo Seco Monterey Chardonnay

Norm's Tasting Notes
2014 Wild Horse Viognier
The North Georgia Wine Advisor
normwine@bellsouth.net
normwine@charter.net

2016 J. Lohr Arroyo Seco Monterey Chardonnay
#nb-08-18

Every now and then, you run across a bottle of wine that is so significantly superior to others in its class, that it basically boggles the mind!  The Chardonnay Queen's only comment was, "This is delicious!", my comment was, "Damn this is good!".  I have had numerous vintages of the J. Lohr Chardonnay in the past, but this time, they really hit the nail on the head!.  The J. Lohr 2016 Arroyo Seco Monterey Chardonnay may be the best one they have ever made.

This is a wine with a fragrant bouquet of apple and pear,which open into flavors anyone, other than someone who hates Chardonnay, would not die for.  The flavors are apple and pear, with just a hint of tropical fruit, and a buttery quality which is almost impossible to find in a wine in this price range.  This is a huge fruit wine with the perfect balance of acidity in the finish, to give it a lush flavor, with a clean and crisp finish,  One thing that is for sure, is that this one definitely begs for another sip!  The wine is so good, that it is hard to believe at this price!  Norm's score is 94.

We enjoyed this terrific bottle of Chardonnay with a dish similar to "Chicken Piccata" with sides of jasmine rice, and fresh asparagus, which was excellent, but not as not as good as the wine!

score: 94
price: $12 - $15

Norm

WINE – God’s Proof of his Love for Humanity

Friday, February 16, 2018

Simi Chardonnay and Frei Brothers Merlot

Norm's Tasting Notes
2014 Wild Horse Viognier
The North Georgia Wine Advisor
normwine@bellsouth.net
normwine@charter.net

2013 Simi Russian River Reserve Chardonnay
2014 Frei Brothers Reserve Merlot
#nb-07-18

For Valentine's Day we decided to have dinner at the best restaurant in town, our house!  Our choice for the evening was Surf and Turf, and to make things extra special we combined Fillet Mignon, Lobster and King Crab.  For such a special dinner we opened both a red and a white, using a bottle of 2014 Frei Brothers Reserve Merlot to pair with the thick medium rare steak.  We trotted out a bottle of Chardonnay we had been saving, to accompany the broiled shell fish.  We chose the 2013 Simi Russian River Reserve Chardonnay, which we knew from past vintages, would be perfect with our Lobster and King Crab.

The Frei Brothers Merlot is rich and full, showcasing flavors of blackberry and cherry with a hint of vanilla.  The finish has a little bit of tannin and a pleasant lingering aftertaste.  Norm's score is 88.

The Simi Chardonnay has a fragrant bouquet of ripe fruit and citrus which open into succulent flavors of tart apple and sweet melon, with a little pineapple.  The finish is crisp and clean with a little citrus breeze toward the end.  Norm's score is 90.   

The dinner was quite a hit with a flavor spectrum covering quite a range.  Coupling the food with two different wines was like having two separate dinners in one!

Simi:
score: 90
price: $23 - $26

Frei Brothers:
score 88
price: $15 - $17

Norm

WINE – God’s Proof of his Love for Humanity