International Chardonnay Tasting

So last night was the first of what I hope will be many gatherings of a group of friends centered around wine. We got together and shared Chardonnays from across the globe. The plan was for everyone to bring a bottle of Chardonnay from somewhere other than California. In turn I supplied a couple bottles from Napa Valley.

The list below is what collected on my table over the course of the night.

Beringer Private Reserve 04
Montelena Napa Valley 04
Yard Dog 04
Mad Fish 04
La Cuvee Chartron Bourgogne 04
Domaine Servin Chablis 04

All of the wines were very good. The Beringer served its purpose as the quintessential Napa Chardonnay, and was a nice change of pace for me since I've been avoiding these super oakey Chardonnays the past couple years. I was surprised to find as much creamy butter on the 2 French wines as I did. I expected them to be a crisper livelier style than they were, but they were still very good. The Australian wines were very clean and maybe on the flinty side. I liked them both very much. In the end I stuck with my standby favorite in the Montelena. I don't know what it is about that wine, the history, the winery, or the wine, but it always finds its way to the top of my list of favorites.
Overall, it was a great night. My wife and I just got a puppy, so the dog dominated the conversation most of the night. Any time a group gets together over wine, it makes for a good night. I hope that there will be many more tastings like this to report on in the near future.