INSIDER'S PICK: 2019 NOVELLUM CHARDONNAY VIN DE FRANCE $15.99

Even though we will not be doing the public tasting portion of the Insider's Pick until further notice, we will still be offering the wine for purchase with the usual 10% discount. The wines will still be ones we highly recommend, and the tasting notes will still be our own. We are also doing both a white and a red option each week, with the white wine available for the discount on Thursday and Friday, while the red wine available on Friday and Saturday. We hope you are able to come by and get some wines to enjoy.

New vintage-and new look- for an old favorite, a simple Chardonnay with a twist that always makes it stand out among the rest. A collaborative creation between importer Eric Solomon and one of his long time winery sources in the Languedoc/Roussillon, S.A.R.L. Lafage, this was developed with the American market in mind and has been a rousing success for over 20 vintages, growing to a production that now appears on several continents.The wine is a blend of tank aged and briefly barrel aged Chardonnay, which of course is nothing new, but it is also aged on the lees of Viognier added to the tanks after it has been pressed. The lees are the fine pulpy interior of the grape where a large portion of the grape's flavor sits. Viognier is such an aromatic grape that even their lees can transform a wine , and it doesn't alter the feel or finish of the wine the way blending finished Viognier juice would. Round warm peach and apple aromas with a light initial pop of flowery Viognier-ness, which builds to be more prominent as it opens up. The palate is soft and juicy, lower acidity and in no way going to be mistaken for a Burgundy, with a strong Chardonnay flavor profile of baked apples and pears. The Viognier is more of a tea immersion here, just enough to perk up nose and palate to something a little different, so important in the vast sameness of less expensive Chardonnay from all over the world. A great cocktail wine, as well as with spicy scallops or crab dishes.

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