Recommendation: Not recommended.
Winery/Producer: La Crema; Sata Rosa, California.
Grape Variety: Chardonnay.
Geographic Region, Appellation: Monterey, California.
Vintage: 2010
Price: $74.75
Purchased From: The Britannia Restaurant, on board the Queen Mary 2.
Paired With: 1. Cod wrapped in napa cabbage and stir-fried carrots, steamed rice and ponzu sauce. 2. Singapore-style chicken satay with stir-fried vegetables.
Tasting:
He said: Chilled before opening. Light wheat straw color. Ripe melon and honey suckle aromas. Strong, tart taste that’s just slightly creamy with a long bitter finish. Drinking alone before dinner its crisp but the strong bitter taste is unpleasant. With the dinner the bitterness becomes more metallic but is just as unpleasant.
She said: In one word “faint”. That applies to the aroma, the taste, the body and the finish. Maybe “blah” is more descriptive. And that all was written before the dinner arrived. The best thing I can say about the wine was that there were no obvious bad characteristics. Once the (spicy) chicken arrived the wine went down hill but I admit this was not a good dinner for the wine (a Gewurztraminer would have been perfect). Sipping the wine after dinner revised my thinking as nice oak and vanilla came through, so perhaps my first impression was hasty. I doubt I would but if again, however, unless it was $5 a bottle!
Comments: This wine was purchased on board the Queen Mary 2 at restaurant prices. Unless we feel strongly about the price we will direct our comments at the quality of the wine recognizing that it should be possible to purchase it for (two or three times) less at a wine store.
Alcohol: 13.9%
Bar code: 0 49331 02109 4
Imported by: JWEI; Dublin, Ireland.