Best Buy! New York vintner Charles Bieler and Walla Walla icon Charles Smith began their collaboration in 2008, and this label produces just three wines each vintage — a red blend, a rose and this Chardonnay. Their vineyard focus here centered on older sites around Snipes Mountain in Washington’s Yakima Valley with a barrel program of 20 percent new French oak. That allows for aromas of sweet pear, kiwi fruit, apple and grass, followed by elegant flavors of Asian pear, Granny Smith apple, mint and minerality. The acid profile is radiant and reminiscent of some Sauvignon Blanc, which may explain the suggested pairings with Crab Cakes with Horseradish Cream or Chicken Dijon.
Rating: Recommended
Production: 14,000 cases
Alcohol: 13.3%
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