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2023 Delta California Chardonnay

2023 Delta California Chardonnay 

 Price: $18.00 

Profile: Ripe Yellow Apple, Tangerine, Pear, Vanilla, Creme Brulee 

What can I say about Chardonnay that has not already been said? It is the most planted white wine grape in the world, famous for being easy drinking, but at the same time complex and adaptable to any environment in which it is grown. This particular bottle is made from grapes sourced from the California coast. While not a vineyard, Delta is a company that makes sure to source organically grown grapes from vintners across California. The company is dedicated to staying carbon neutral and donates a portion of its profits to charities that help fight climate change. 

California Chardonnay 

Chardonnay in California has a much more recent history compared to the great Burgundian vineyards, which were first planted in the 1940s, yet it has made a major impact on the global wine industry, with California Chardonnays being compared to and even surpassing their Burgundian counterparts. The most famous example of this is the Paris Wine Tasting of 1976, also known as the judgement of Paris. In the early 1970s, the quality of some California vineyards was outstanding, yet the markets at the time in the United States did not take much notice, as French wine was more popular. Steven Spurrier, a British wine merchant, organized a blind tasting between California Chardonnays and Cabernet Sauvignons and their French counterparts. At the tasting, the California Chardonnay from Chateau Montelena received the highest scores, which was a shock to all in attendance and helped shatter the superiority complex surrounding French wines. California Chardonnay soon exploded in popularity, with the grape becoming much more widely planted throughout California AVAs. Since the judgement of Paris, California has grown to produce a quarter of the world's Chardonnay. 

Taste Profile 

The wine opens with a light fruity nose, with aromas of vanilla being among the most prominent. This bottle is unoaked and has a lighter profile than heavier oaked chardonnays. On the palate, it has the taste of yellow apples, being crisp and dry with slight butteriness. There are further light notes of vanilla, giving off a slight creme brulee-like taste. While a little light overall, this is a fine example of an unoaked California Chardonnay, and I would be happy to purchase another bottle. 

Final Score

70/100 

[vineforabuck]

Thomas Stopfer Zeigelt

2019 Thomas Stopfer Zweigelt a 15-dollar bargain 

Zweigelt is one of those obscure Vitis vinifera varieties that gets passed by in favor of its more famous parents, Blaufränkisch and St. Laurent. Yet this hybrid reveals notes similar to a good Pinot Noir, providing the same light-bodied texture but with more peppery notes. 

History of the Grape

Zweigelt is a hybrid grape created in 1922 by the controversial Austrian entomologist Friedrich Zweigelt. While a brillant viticulture specialist, Dr. Zweigelt is personally steeped in deep controversy as a strong German nationlist he enthusiastically embraced Nazism joining the Austrian branch of the NSDP and remained a loyal Nazi even after the party was banned. In 1938 Austria was annexed by Nazi Germany and Zweigelt was appointed as director of Klosterneuburg State School of Viticulture, Fruit Growing and Horticulture. Zweigelt was an Reich official of Nazi Germany and represented them at the international viticulture congress in 1939. Even with the collapse of Nazism in 1945 Zweigelt was stubborn in his beliefs, he was held in detention till 1948 until Austrian president Karl Renner pardoned him. He would fade away into obscurity, dying in 1964. 

Taste Profile 

Despite the sordid reputation and history of its creator, this wine has much to offer. The Thomas Stopfer Zweigelt opens with a fresh aroma of red fruit and pepper. On the palate, it is light-bodied with low tannins. However, it still opens with the bright fruity flavors and earthiness that this variety is known for. Further flavors of raspberry and cinnamon, along with notes of chocolate and pepper, open up as this wine gets a chance to air . Overall, this is a fine example of an obscure grape, and despite being a little light is an excellent bargain. 

I give this wine a solid 72/100

Vine for a Buck 

Deckers, Daniel. Friedrich Zweigelt (1888-1964), 14 Nov. 2022, https://doi.org/10.7767/9783205216452.