Falling For KJ
Kendall-Jackson
Vintner's Reserve
Chardonnay
2016
$19.95 LCBO
This wine is apple juice… and metaphors are bad literary devices, but this is as close as I’ve ever come to swing sets and juice boxes in a bottle of wine. Now this isn’t to say that you should fill your child’s sippy cup with this when the OJ runs low, but it is worth pouring yourself one if you’re in the mood for a bout of nostalgia. Part of the reason I call this apple juice has to do with the higher-than-I’m-used-to sugar content (8g/L of residual sugar) which adds richness and body that a drier Chardonnay might not be able to replicate. Kendall-Jackson is often touted as the original “California chard” because it has the oak and the incredibly smooth mouth feel that has come to be associated with the state’s version of the wine. While the Mondavi Chardonnay that I previously tried defies the stereotype, the Kendall-Jackson chard embraces it with fervor and personality.
Vintner's Reserve
Chardonnay
2016
$19.95 LCBO
This wine is apple juice… and metaphors are bad literary devices, but this is as close as I’ve ever come to swing sets and juice boxes in a bottle of wine. Now this isn’t to say that you should fill your child’s sippy cup with this when the OJ runs low, but it is worth pouring yourself one if you’re in the mood for a bout of nostalgia. Part of the reason I call this apple juice has to do with the higher-than-I’m-used-to sugar content (8g/L of residual sugar) which adds richness and body that a drier Chardonnay might not be able to replicate. Kendall-Jackson is often touted as the original “California chard” because it has the oak and the incredibly smooth mouth feel that has come to be associated with the state’s version of the wine. While the Mondavi Chardonnay that I previously tried defies the stereotype, the Kendall-Jackson chard embraces it with fervor and personality.
Another part of
the “apple juice” remark has to do with the dominant presence of apple aromas
and flavours, which are common in Chardonnays, but more prominent than usual in
this particular bottle. Personally, I adore this characteristic of Chardonnays
and revel in the “just took a bite of a juicy Golden Delicious” feeling it
gives after every sip. The sweetness of the fruit is complimented by a gentle
acidity, which adds just a hint of lemon, but not near enough to pull you out
of your grade-school reverie. This bottle also certainly has that delectable
(if not at times slightly tiresome) buttery mouth feel which helps it go down
as smoothly as the other type of fruit juice it mimics. What is most surprising
to me is that this wine, with its basement wood-panelling smell on the nose,
proffers very little oak on the attack or finish. Californian Chardonnay is
almost invariably assumed to be fat and oaky, and while this one is hanging
onto its baby weight, it does not rely on the oakiness of Toasted Head or even
the Mondavi to contribute depth of flavour. Rather, it finishes with
implications of buttered toast, and believe it or not, French fries.
I may not have been drinking wine in my days of running around the neighbourhood barefoot, but this wine takes me there anyway. It is not the most complex or refined wine I have ever tried, but it is certainly agreeable for pairing with movie night snacks, or catching up with old friends. Besides, $19.95 for a trip down memory lane is worlds cheaper than any other trip you’ll take.
Yours in all things wine,
Christine
I may not have been drinking wine in my days of running around the neighbourhood barefoot, but this wine takes me there anyway. It is not the most complex or refined wine I have ever tried, but it is certainly agreeable for pairing with movie night snacks, or catching up with old friends. Besides, $19.95 for a trip down memory lane is worlds cheaper than any other trip you’ll take.
Yours in all things wine,
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