Sagelands Vineyard 2011 Chardonnay, Columbia Valley, $10
Best Buy! This longtime Yakima Valley winery is now a label for Precept Wine in Seattle. Sagelands’ wines are uniformly delicious and affordable, as evidenced by this stunning and inexpensive Chardonnay. It opens with elegant aromas of artichoke in a butter sauce, diced celery, banana and pineapple, followed by bright, rather complex flavors of Granny Smith apple, Asian pear and a whisper of buttered toast. A kiss of sweetness adds length and bevels the edges on this wine’s impressive acidity, and the balance between oak and fruit is superb. Enjoy this with oysters, prawns, scallops, chicken or linguine in an alfredo sauce.
Rating: Outstanding!
Production: 3,500 cases
Alcohol: 13%
I like the label on the Mercer Chard a lot!