Lion's Crest Chardonnay '07

Country: USA
Region: California
Thoughts: Much to get to. My wife, undeterred by the Huskies' 0-fer season, was kind enough to pose with the night's wine, one of the final of 2008. It really was an all-in-the-family thing, since the wine was shipped from her brother and sister-in-law, Mark and Maya and our cool-ass nephew, 4 month-old Drake. (Really, you guys were too kind to us this Christmas. We will make it up to you... uh, sometime later.) As you can guess, they were sweet and sent us some wine and, they said, couldn't wait to see the review. So here it is. My wife was pretty high on it; I poured her a little sample. She swished it around the glass, gave it a good sniff, took a sip and excitedly handed the thing back - she wanted a fuller glass. Me? I was a little skeptical at first; the label indicated that it was produced by an outfit out of the City of Angels. And when I think of L.A., winemaking is not what I think of first. There are many things I think of, but it's probably best to leave that be... Anyway, the chard had a decidedly fruity nose, one that initially caught me off guard. The chards I've had give away their characteristics quickly in the nose; but this one was a curveball. On the tongue, it was dry, as you'd expect. It was a solid, solid drink; while low on the adventure scale, it would be a wine that I hold up as a wonderful example of what a chard can and should be. Not oaky, not buttery, just solid and enjoyable. And, for any wine, that scores as a win in my book.
Do-over? Yup
Final Grade: B+