Windy Oaks Estate
One-Acre Estate Chardonnay
2007
Current price: about $38
We received two bottles of this about a year ago. We opened the first right away and found it quite odd. It had underpinnings of oaky, buttery, toasty, American-style Chardonnay, but the nose was skewed and the finish somewhat unpleasant. Not Californian and not Burgundian, and distinctly unintegrated. We laid the second down to try again in time.
This bottle is somewhat similar, though it speaks with a stronger Californian accent. The nose is a bit sulfurous, sharp and acrid, but it has a pleasing weight and a bright, citrusy acidity that balances the characteristic buttery oaky bits. It has a long finish that trails away quietly in a pleasant, varietally appropriate afterglow.
Still, it's a little gangly, like a teenager with tight jeans and a baggy shirt. We'll stick with their Pinot noir.
