Stein Family Vaquero Chardonnay
$47.99 + $5 shipping
CONDITION: White
PRODUCT: 4 2010 Vaquero Chardonnay
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I got the coveted first wooter to woot!!!!

I read the write up and it said everything I wanted to hear in a Chardonnay. Steel fermented nice acidity, with some SB. Looking forward to his.

In for one - I would have done more except I just today picked up three boxes that were waiting for me at FedEx, and I have another two in transit.

Dat picture...

winery has it for $16/bottle so it looks to be 25% off with $5 shipping.

Low alcohol, low pH, low Brix, high TA, no oak -- this should be crisp as all hell.

ThunderThighs wrote:Never thought of hell as crisp. Hot, yes. But crisp isn't a word I would have associated with it. I shall ponder this further.

What about burnt to a crisp? If hell is hot, then all hell should be hotter, thus promoting crispness.

simplydumpling wrote:What about burnt to a crisp? If hell is hot, then all hell should be hotter, thus promoting crispness.

Thus implying that this is a wine from hell? ;-)

Horse-mounted livestock herder Chardonnay?

Twins, charitable, no oak. I'm in.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=tXwU9pGR8Vo

perfect timing...whites running low with all these red woot deals...in for one.

kylemittskus wrote:Low alcohol, low pH, low Brix, high TA, no oak -- this should be crisp as all hell.

It's definitely not a flabby white, but it's not as crisp as a Sauvignon Blanc. Chard is naturally a bit rounder, so the SB does add a bit of slate/mineral, adding to the perception of "sharpness"; I think we achieved a nice balance--everyone smiles when they taste, which is usually a good sign!

pupyluvr wrote:Horse-mounted livestock herder Chardonnay?

If you can't make fun of yourself on your own wine labels, what's the fun of being a winemaker? ;)

ThunderThighs wrote:Never thought of hell as crisp. Hot, yes. But crisp isn't a word I would have associated with it. I shall ponder this further.

Hate. Lots and lots of hate.

I am looking for a refreshing summer wine for BBQs. How is this Chardonnay different from lets say a Viogner?

kyber944 wrote:I am looking for a refreshing summer wine for BBQs. How is this Chardonnay different from lets say a Viogner?

Good question. Viognier is highly aromatic, but it usually needs something in the mix to open it up: hence Marsanne, Roussanne, or Chardonnay is usually part of the package. In that sense, Viognier is further along that flavor spectrum away from oaked and ML-ed whites, but that comes at a cost for matching to food. Viognier has that distinct flavor profile which makes it harder to pair. This Vaquero Chard is a bit more mainstream in that sense given the kinds of fruits, apple and tropical, and the SB I added. It's a bit softer on the tongue and less angular than the Viognier would be. As I wrote above, this isn't a replacement for an SB, which is further towards citrus fruits, generally, but it has a distinct, long minerally finish: limestone without the cliffs, basically. And since it's Chard, it pairs to anything--it's wonderfully mutable in that way.

Thanks for the compare, contrast with the Viognier. I think you sold me.
I am always looking for something between the grapefruit citrus of the Chenin Blancs and the buttery Chardonnays.
Having BBQ chicken with mango salsa and a Lava Vine Viognier (Just came back from Napa).

kyber944 wrote:Thanks for the compare, contrast with the Viognier. I think you sold me.
I am always looking for something between the grapefruit citrus of the Chenin Blancs and the buttery Chardonnays.
Having BBQ chicken with mango salsa and a Lava Vine Viognier (Just came back from Napa).

Not an issue at all. Wine is versatile, and having an array of choices is a good thing in my book. Sometimes you want a star, a course unto itself, and sometimes you want a perfect match. Both take skill to produce. As a winemaker, I want variety; if it's not fun, it's not wine!

Your match to mango bbq is perfect--that's the kind of complimentarity Viognier needs: off the beaten track, in a good way. Enjoy!

JoshStein wrote:Not an issue at all. Wine is versatile, and having an array of choices is a good thing in my book. Sometimes you want a star, a course unto itself, and sometimes you want a perfect match. Both take skill to produce. As a winemaker, I want variety; if it's not fun, it's not wine!

Your match to mango bbq is perfect--that's the kind of complimentarity Viognier needs: off the beaten track, in a good way. Enjoy!

The strength of the Viognier and that Vanilla follow through was a nice compliment to the mango chicken. I will pair your wine maybe with a similar dish but with seafood mango. Life is good when we are talking about wine and food!

Almost midnight and no bouncy button. Perhaps this will be back on another woot-off, and if this is as fine as I'm hoping, I will gladly pick up more then if I can.

how's the finish on this?

juliusjunkie wrote:how's the finish on this?

Long and quite slatey/minerally--this is the best shellfish wine I've ever made

Has anyone received their package yet or, at least, a tracking number?

Yea, right after I posted I remember this was not from the woot off.

lameduck wrote:Has anyone received their package yet or, at least, a tracking number?

There are times I waited 2-3 weeks before it was shipped. So patience is the key.