Wine Review: Mer Soleil Chardonnay Reserve 2019
Chardonnays have as much of a love-hate in many cellars as the dreaded battle of ‘cork’ vs ‘twist cap’. I love Chards, when they jab-cross combo with the aroma of a patisserie & palate of citrus & apple fruitiness. Today we’ve got an MLF (Malolactic Fermentation/Conversion)loaded, oak barrelled Californian bad boy, who plays wonderfully dirty with the secondary scent and palate characteristics.
Poured in my glass, the clear pale gold of this Santa Lucia Highland wine pounced my nose with an immediate pronounced bouquet. Butter, vanilla, a soft nougat, lemon biscuit. I barely got the tasting glass close to my nose before the incredibly vibrant scent of Mer Soleil’s Reserve Chard smacked me with the 1–2 punch. Fruit came second to the butter and vanilla for me, hints of honey developing alongside apricot, honeydew melon and the pervasive lemon. I was hooked, if you like the biscuit and butter scent of MLF and oak aging, you’re going to adore this.
Dry, with a medium+ acidity (think higher, but not stratospheric salivation-pucker), the unctuous body and medium+ intensity of the palate made me thankful the bottle came into my cellar. The lemon was the first flavour which struck my tongue. Followed by grapefruit, apricot and the nougat, caramel and butter notes I sniffed. If butterscotch or caramel & toast with lemon curd sounds good to you, so will Mer Soleil’s Reserve Chardonnay 2019. Its long finish swung in with a waft of coconut, toast, dried apple.
An outstanding Californian Chardonnay for those who like patisserie & popcorn whites. A pleasant and heady experience now, while holding firm to enough complexity to grow up and level out.
If you get excited sipping lemony, butter & caramel whites, with the scents of Oak and MLF in the fore, Mer Soleil Santa Lucia Highlands Reserve Chardonnay 2019 is a bottle worth a buy.
Keep it around for a while (this puppy will improve even more with some age), or crack it open with buttered popcorn for movie night. Want to pair this bad boy for dinner? Try white-fleshed fish, lobster or anything you’d slather a bit of butter on. I’m opening my next bottle of this Chard with a buttery baked potato & a mild lemon chicken tajine.
Assessment: Outstanding Quality; Can drink now, but has potential for ageing.
The WSET SAT
Appearance
Clear Pale Gold
Nose
Clean Pronounced
Primary Lemon, melon, apricot
Secondary Butter (buttered popcorn), nougat
Tertiary Honey, Vanilla
Development Developing
Palate
Sweetness Dry
Acidity Medium +
Tannins Low
Alcohol Medium +
Body Medium +
Flavour Intensity Medium+
Flavour Characteristics
Primary Lemon, Grapefruit, Apricot
Secondary Butter, nougat, caramel
Tertiary Coconut, toast, dried apple, honey, smoke
Finish Long
Assessment of Quality
Outstanding
Level of Readiness for Drinking
Can drink now, but potential for future aging.
BLIC Some of the Secondary scents & palate notes were out of balance as-is, with a still developing sensation, which I concluded would make it perfect for some time in-cellar.
