Wente "Morning Fog" Chardonnay 2009

Appearance: Bright, pale yellow color. The tears/legs are slow moving, thin and wide apart leading me to guess the wine has a 13% or more ABV and the body would be at least medium(+).

Nose: At rest the wine has a light intensity (hints) of tangerine, ripe peach and ripe pineapple. After swirling, there is the additional hint of melon (maybe honeydew).

Palate: Upon initial entry there is a slight sweetness followed by a creamy texture. The slight sweetness may come from the ripe fruit at harvest. The wine is dry with a medium(++) to full-body offering mouth-watering acidity and fruit flavors similar to the nose that are of medium(++) intensity. There also is a little spiciness (cinnamon?? not a hot spice) that is part of the sweet attack that may be the result of the level of barrel charring for aging. There is no indication of alcohol burn on the back palate (13.5%ABV).

Finish/Length: The wine has a clean finish with a medium(++) to long length of ripe peach and pear along with an elusive melon flavor. The result is a lingering fruit cocktail along with the sweetness (of the ripe fruit??) and refreshing acidity. The wine continues to hold my interest.

Conclusion: This is a good(+) to excellent quality wine coming from the warm area of Livermore Valley, east of San Francisco. Its balance of creamy texture, mouth-watering acidity and and ripe fruit on the palate seems to make this an excellent value at the retail price of about US$13.00. This wine drink now or over the next 6 to 12 months but this drinkability assessment, as with the maturing of all wines, depends upon many variables including storage.

Producer Notes: 50% of the wine was barrel fermented in French, American and Eastern European oak, while the balance was fermented in stainless steel tanks to preserve the natural fruit flavors inherent in our Livermore Valley Chardonnay. The barrel fermented portion was aged "sur lie" for 7 months. Batonnage, the art of stirring the barrels, was performed monthly. The stainless steel portion was aged on lees for 7 months. Enjoy aromas and flavors of green apple and tropical fruits, balanced by subtle oak, cinnamon and vanilla from the barrel aging. With a month-filling body and balanced acidity, this wine delivers a medium-long finish.