St. Julian Wine Co.
2005 ST. J Chardonnay(Lake Michigan Shore)
St. Julian Winery that uses “St. J” as a brand tier, purchases grapes from 100 growers in southwest Michigan, within a 45-mile radius of the town of Paw Paw, and within the Lake Michigan Shore AVA.
A blending potential from a vast array of growers allows the winery to craft a fresh, bright and crisp rendition of Chardonnay that's a superb value among the scores of Chardonnay on the planet. Aromas are marked by green apple, tropical fruit and lemony notes with oak accents. Interesting ripe peach and apricot flavors add complex notes to a well-structured wine with a generous medium body.
So many Chardonnays have been criticized as food unfriendly. Not this one because of its nicely tart character in a dry version. It's particularly suited to first courses, such as risotto with asparagus, pasta salads, or a fleshy white fish such as Orange Roughy. Its "won't blow the budget" price makes it an everyday wine you can be proud to serve to dinner guests -- or as a well-chilled sipper on its own.
Reviewed July 17, 2007 by Eleanor & Ray Heald.
Other reviewed wines from St. Julian Wine Co.
St. Julian Wine Co. 2005 Braganini Reserve Pinot Noir (Lake Michigan Shore)Eleanor & Ray Heald 8/3/2007 |
The Wine
Winery: St. Julian Wine Co. |
The ReviewerThe Healds have been writing about wine since 1978 and have focused on appellation significance in many of their world beat writings. They value recognizing site personality (terroir) within an appellation's wines. They praise balance and elegance in wines styled to pair well with food and eschew over-extraction, high alcohol and heavy-handed oak. “Delicious” is their favorite descriptor for a great, well-made wine. |