Review of 2005 Black Swan Chardonnay

Tonight, my husband and I just enjoyed a nice salmon dinner, along with a baked potato and asparagus. As is our custom, we opened a nice bottle of white wine to go with our fish. Our wine selection tonight? A bottle of the 2005 Black Swan Chardonnay from Australia. Properly chilled, Black Swan Chardonnay offers a very pleasant accompaniment to food. Best of all, it costs about $6 a bottle at our local Class VI store.

My husband and I enjoy trying quality budget wines and we've been fortunate to find a few brands that almost always deliver. We've had the chance to try a lot of Black Swan wines, which we tend to buy more because of their budget price than because of any particular preference. It seems that we usually end up choosing a red wine whenever we buy a wine by Black Swan. It was kind of a treat to try a refreshing white with a price that didn't hurt the budget much at all.

The Basics

The 2005 Black Swan Chardonnay consists of 96% Chardonnay, 2% Verdehlo, and 2% other.

The Pour

The 2005 Black Swan Chardonnay pours out crisp, clear, and golden. When I pour the wine into my glass, there are a few bubbles at the top of the pour, which quickly dissipate into nothingness,

The Nose

Tropical fruit is the predominant aroma when I take a sniff of Black Swan Chardonnay swirling around in my glass. I smell pineapples and ripe melons, laced with honey sweetness. There's also a faint odor of alcohol.

The Taste

Black Swan Chardonnay is supposed to taste like the pineapples and fresh tropical fruit I detected with my nose. When I taste this wine, I pick up those flavors, especially the pineapple. To me, there's also a distinct honey flavor to this wine. There's also a tartness to this wine that cuts the fruity sweetness in the finish. I pick up the tart flavors in the aftertaste. My husband could also taste sweet and sour flavors. A slightly oaky flavor lingers on the palate. My husband and I both find this wine refreshing, smooth, and drinkable, although personally, I prefer wines that are a bit crisper and drier than this one is, even though I basically enjoyed it with our fish tonight. Black Swan Chardonnay is medium bodied, with an alcohol content of 13.5% by volume.

Where to Buy It

This wine is readily available in most major grocery stores. Though my husband and I usually buy it at our local Class VI store on the military installation where we live, it can also be found in stores like Trader Joe's and Whole Foods Market. You can also find it being sold by a number of vendors online.

Overall Impressions

I tend to prefer sauvignon blancs to chardonnays and I have had other white wines that I've liked better than Black Swan Chardonnay. Even so, I think Black Swan Chardonnay is certainly worth trying out for less than $6 a bottle. If you like a wine that couples sweetness with tartness, you might really enjoy this wine. The 2005 Black Swan Chardonnay goes fine with fish, poultry, and pasta. Check out the Black Swan Web site for recipes to go with your favorite Black Swan wine. If you choose to try the 2005 Black Swan Chardonnay, please drink responsibly.