Other Wines in the House - J Vineyards Chardonnay

I was fortunate to visit J Vineyards in 2010 when I was in California for a wedding.  So now they have my number and call us every now and then to see if we want to order any wine.  They caught me on a good day because I did place a nice order of some Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.  One of those Chards was their 2008 Russian River Valley Chardonnay.

There were 6000 cases of this Chardonnay made. The grapes were harvested between September 6 and October 2, 2008.  The wine was 100% barrel fermented and aged in 60 gallon Burgundian oak of which 40% was new.  Malolactic fermentation was long and lasted six months resulting in a wine that is complex and great sur lie character (that creamy flavor).

I found the aromas of the wine to be filled with melon, Meyer lemon and toasted oak.  I have to admit that the only reason I picked out Meyer lemon is because I recently purchased them and cooked them with some salmon. The wine was slightly heavy on the palate but had nice balance.  There was some nice limestone minerality I picked up and a lingering carmel finish with a hint of nutmeg.

The wine sells for $28.