It’s World Chardonnay Day!

I love celebrating holidays, so I was delighted to find out that the Thursday before the last Monday in May is World Chardonnay Day. Of course, we must try some Chardonnays! Bart is off riding antique motorcycles through the Ozarks, so I was left alone to find some wines to review.

There are some really spectacular Chardonnays out there. Those beg to be shared, though, and whatever Chardonnay I would be trying would need to fit into my evening of Kraft macaroni and cheese and a makeshift home spa night with my daughters. I opted to look for some good value Chardonnays that would be easy go-to wines on any given day! I ended up running into The Liquor Cabinet, where I found my contestants for the evening.

First up: Butter, JaM Vineyards, California Chardonnay 2022.

Butter is made by winemaker John Anthony Truchard, who also makes some very high end wines out of Napa Valley. Bart and his wife met John Anthony himself on a trip to Napa, and Bart’s wife may have developed a bit of a crush. This wine, Butter, is their more affordable bread and “butter” wine, if you will, and it’s the # 2- selling Chardonnay in the US for bottles $12 and above.

For me, this one smells like really ripe golden apples and cream and a little bit like lemon, but more lemon tart than a fresh squeezed lemon. It certainly does taste buttery, as advertised! This is a rich wine, for a white wine. If you’re a fan of buttery, rich Chardonnays, definitely give this one a go. If your Chardonnay preference is more along the lines of the clean, minerally variety, this is not for you (you’re looking for Chablis). But I think it is exactly what it says it is, and I like it for that. Incidentally, it actually goes really well with Kraft macaroni and cheese.

The wine: B

Price: $18 at The Liquor Cabinet

I next moved on to the San Marzano Edda Bianco 2022.

This is actually a blend from Italy: 60% Chardonnay, 20% Fiano, and 20% Wild Muscatel (the last two are native Italian grapes).

This one also smells like ripe apples and butter, but with less of the rich quality of the first. I also think it smells like Meyer lemons with a little bit of ripe pineapple. It has a buttery quality when you taste it, too, but it seems a little more refined, like buttered brioche. Personally, I really enjoyed this one. It’s good value and easy to enjoy.

The wine: A-

The price: $20 at The Liquor Cabinet

Try these out, or go find your own Chardonnay to enjoy today!!

Side note: if you looked at the tops of these bottles in these pictures, you’ll notice they have odd black caps on them. We use a Coravin ALL the time, which is a great wine preservation system where you can open and then cap your wine. You then pour it through a nitrogen system that puts nitrogen back in the bottle to preserve it. In this way, you can open a bottle, have just a bit, and continue to enjoy your wine for a few weeks!