Wente Riva Ranch Chardonnay '07

Country: USA
Region: California

Thoughts: Maybe Sen. Barack Obama would like a glass of wine too. Actually, he was looking at debate moderator Jim Lehrer, but perhaps he was dreaming of a California chardonnay. And in this instance, I wouldn't recommend Wente to him. Really, the wine was like the first presidential debate on Friday night: Precisely what you'd expect and utterly forgettable. Both Obama and Sen. John McCain seemed glued to their talking points and unwilling to veer off them; the Wente was virtually no different than any number of other chardonnays I've tried. Both candidates reverted to tried and true campaign messages (McCain hammering on experience, Obama linking his rival to the current administration); the Wente was slightly buttery, moderately floral and slightly dry - ho hum. And neither's body language presented him as the picture of maturity, whether it was McCain's head-down approach as Obama talked or Obama's continuous interruptions; the Wente, meanwhile, was just good enough to make the pain of the debate a little more tolerable. On Friday night, neither man nor wine impressed.

Do-over? Nope

Final Grade: C