Golden Gate Chardonnay Wine: A Little Jewel at a Little Price

My wife is a huge Chardonnay fan! Living in So-Cal we have had the opportunity to try dozens of Chards and we have a long list of our favorites, divided into different price ranges. So why am I so "High" on the Golden Gate Chard? Read on my fellow wine enthusiasts.

First, let's talk about the fruit. Chardonnay is a green-skinned grape variety used to make white wine. It is believed to have originated in the Burgundy wine region of eastern France but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand. For new and developing wine regions, growing Chardonnay is seen as a "rite of passage" and an easy segue into the international wine market (1).

The Chardonnay grape itself is very neutral, with many of the flavors commonly associated with the grape being derived from such influences as terroir and oak. It is vinified in many different styles, from the elegant, "flinty" wines of Chablis to rich, buttery Meursaults and New World wines with tropical fruit flavors (1).

Next, let's talk about the wine. We first found this subject wine at Albertsons (Grocery Store) in 2006. We were buying some vino for a last minute BBQ when my wife spied the bridge on the label. We picked it up and placed it in the cart, never looking at the price. When we got home, it was the first bottle we opened; it was not chilled, but not warm.

One of our guests was already at our château when we arrived home (I said it was last minute) and she poured a glass of the Golden Gate. She made a happy face and asked where we purchased this gem. After acknowledging it was Albertsons, she asked how much it was. We looked at the receipt and low and behold ... $1.99! I tasted it and then the wife tasted it and then I was looking for car keys to go get some more. When I returned I had six bottles that we quickly started poring into decanters. With almost everyone at the party, the wine was a hit.

So over the years we have found that this wine is best served at room temperature. It is more flavorful this way (vs. chilled). It does not have an overpowering flavor however both the aroma and the savor have hints of "pear" as well as oak and melon.

The price is normally $3.99, with sale prices ranging from 2 for $5 or sometimes $1.99 a bottle. One can usually get a discount of 10% on six or more bottles. At less than $4 a bottle, it is not an elegant dinner wine. But for something to refresh at a last minute party or BBQ it is perfect.

References

(1) Chardonnay. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chardonnay.