Remember Jake Gyllenhaal’s lament to Heath Ledger in Brokeback Mountain – “I wish I could quit you.” For decades now, critics and other people in the ABC crowd who should know better have complained that California producers can’t quit making oaky Chardonnays. Fortunately, they haven’t, even though some continue to be excessive in their “margarine-alization” of the grape. Beringer is the old reliable of getting it right – full-bodied, ripe but mellow red apple and quince flavors, buttery / caramel oak, yet enough acidity to finish it off correctly.
Beringer Vineyards, Napa Valley (California) Chardonnay 2021
By Roger Morris