2017 Kendall-Jackson Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay

2017 Kendall-Jackson Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay

Vintage: 2017

Region: California, USA 

Winemakers: Kendall-Jackson

Varietal: Chardonnay

Price: $12 (literally can be found everywhere)

Expert Rating: 90

My Rating: 89

The Review: Happy Father's Day! Hope all you dads out there had a chill weekend and were able to watch some golf like me... Today's review features a wine from California mega-firm, Jackson Family Wines. The 2017 Kendall-Jackson Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay is a solid wine, a great introduction to Chardonnay, and a classic example of what the grape can do. I've actually reviewed a Chardonnay before, but most of you didn't know about this blog when I wrote that so I'll touch on some things again.

First, let me address some thoughts you might have had when I said I was reviewing a Chardonnay. As some of you perhaps know, there's a bit of a stigma around Chardonnay (I've actually been laughed at when I said it was one of my favorite grapes). Isn't Chardonnay crappy? Isn't it a cop-out wine? Sometimes. Because of its versatility, it can be abused and turned into garbage. But a lot of the time, it's really really good. It responds well to lots of cool winemaking techniques and can grow successfully just about anywhere. 

One of these winemaking techniques is oak aging. After the wine is fermented, it is sometimes transferred to oak barrels that allow the wine to go through a secondary fermentation called malolactic fermentation (For your sanity, I won't explain what that means. But if you're a nerd, look it up because it's dope). This second fermentation is what creates the classic buttery taste in some Chardonnays. And this is usually where Chardonnays crash and burn. Butter overkill can really suffocate everything other note. BUT in moderation, it can really be lovely and is usually pretty fair in price. And if you don't like butter at all, many winemakers will skip this part in order to achieve a more crisp and fruit-forward wine (my first Chardonnay review was an "unoaked" Chardonnay).

On to the review- the 2017 Kendall-Jackson Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay is in fact oaked for 7 months in French and American oak barrels. So yes, there is some butteriness. The nose presents some of this butter as well as vanilla, leather, apple, and pear. Right off the bat, it's a promising balance of fruit and oak notes. The taste proves what our noses picked up, and the butter and vanilla meld to form a pastry-like taste. There's some citrus that helps to balance out the oak, and a subtle charry note peaks through on the finish. This wine is moderate in body (full in body for a white) and has a medium-length finish. It's dry with no sweetness, but the oak tricks your mind into thinking that it's sweet (this is common).

Overall, this wine is a textbook, traditional Chardonnay and is pretty great for the price. Unless you have beef with supporting mega wineries, there's really not a reason not to give this one a try. I don't think you'll be disappointed, even if you traditionally haven't liked buttery Chards. Oh, and did I mention that you can find this in just about every store on the planet? As always, let me know what you think if you end up trying it.

drink what you like,

db