2005-12-09
New Releases from Charles Creek 2004 Las Patolitas – 100% Chardonnay – Sonoma County
For a small, family owned winery, one of the great advantages of having a tasting room is having a much greater opportunity to present the wine, personally and individually, to potential customers. A bottle of delicious Charles Creek Vineyard “Las Patolitas” Chardonnay sitting (or lying) on a store shelf has a very limited chance of speaking up and introducing itself to the browsing shopper whereas at the tasting room that bottle not only has an advocate (that would be Alan Wastell), but ultimately has the perfect opportunity to speak for itself in it’s most persuasive fashion: in the tasting.
It has been demonstrated repeatedly that a tasting room visitor at Charles Creek believes as an absolute certainty that he or she dislikes Chardonnay and would never choose to taste a Chardonnay and would absolutely never, ever buy a bottle of Chardonnay can and will make a 180-degree turnabout after tasting the current vintage of “Las Patolitas” and willingly (gladly, even) buy a quantity to take home.
Just bottled, the spanking new 2004 vintage of Las Patolitas is a worthy successor to the triple-gold-medal-winning 2003. Traditional methods such as barrel fermentation and aging, primarily in seasoned French oak, with 70% of the lots undergoing malolactic fermentation serve to lend complexity but make no mistake; the fruit is the focus here.
Bright with apple, apricot and peach, lively with acidity and merely accented with creamy, oak derived vanillin, coconut and spice, this charming wine is a classic summer sipper as well as being an admirable foil for the lighter meats, such as chicken, pork or turkey.
Bottle price in only $20, club member bottle price is $17. 2004 La Sorpresa – 100% Chardonnay – Sonoma/Carneros
Scents of tropical fruits, vanillin and toasty oak invite a first taste. Rich, mouthfilling flavors of summer stone fruits, baking spices, citrus and butterscotch inevitably lead to a full glass. A long, creamy finish leads to wanting more.
100% of these Chardonnay lots, harvested primarily from the justly famous Sangiacomo Vineyard in the Southern portion of Sonoma Valley, are fermented in 60-gallon oak barrels. After the initial fermentation the lots undergo the secondary, malolactic fermentation that lends additional elements of flavor complexities and textural viscosity.
Seared halibut (on, perhaps, a bed of vegetable brunoises and favas), grilled salmon, cream sauced lobster ravioli or braised pork loin would be just a few fine companions for this rich yet elegant wine.
Bottle price is only $29, club member bottle price is $24.65
To learn more about Charles Creek Winery and the wine club, to view more current releases or to place an order, visit the online store at www.charlescreek.com or by calling the tasting room directly at (707) 935-3848. Visit the tasting room at 483 First Street West on the historic Sonoma Plaza, open daily from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
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