Uncorked #4: Naked Chardonnay

Welcome to Uncorked! Where I feature a new wine that we tried and let you know my thoughts on it. There is a little disclaimer: I am by far no wine expert --I am just going to tell my thoughts on a wine. Some wine snobs out there might turn their nose up at my opinion and that's fine with me! Wine is meant to be savored and enjoyed!

I might throw out some wine terms here and there and if I do, I will make sure that I give you the definition and try to explain them to the best of my abilities. My goal is to share some tasty wine picks with the world and hopefully encourage some of you out there to try a new wine. No bottle shall be discriminated against, price is no matter (with in reason), and this is just going to be all about exploring the world of wine.

This week's wine is:

Four Vines Naked Chardonnay

Description: Step away from the barrel. This Chardonnay was fermented in 100% stainless steel and has not see any oak, not does it want to. This is crisp, concentrated Chardonnay with all its natural acid. Eat oysters and drink "Naked" often!! Share with a friend...

Price: $12.99 per bottle
Region: Santa Barbara County, CA, USA

Well, if you have noticed by now I like my red wines, but I felt my Uncorked has been overran by reds so I decided to review a Chardonnay. I purchased this wine back on Valentine's Day and I am now just getting around to finishing the bottle! It's been sitting in my refrigerator with about two glasses left. It didn't help that the cold weather also left me without any desire to drink cold wine. So given the recent sunshine and milder temps, I thought it would a perfect time to review the bottle. The wine has a very clean taste to it, hence the name "Naked". You can taste a little apple, pear and peach in the wine but as the desription on the bottle states there is no oaky* cast to the wine. Personally, I like my wine a little oaky. I don't know why but that flavor just seems to provide an organic feeling; as though the wine is from the fruit of this earth..

Would I buy it again? Maybe... it depends on what I am serving it with. If you are eating a dish where you want the wine to compliment the flavor of the dish, like the bottle suggests of oysters, this wine would be perfect. This wine is clean and crisp and would compliment the flavor of your meal, rather then overpower it. If you are looking for a Chardonnay for a wine party and are focused on tasting and drinking, I guess I would choose a different brand. To quote a fellow blogger, "I like my wine dirty, but sexy." As I stated before, I like my wines with a little more oak to them or some other organic flavor. Although the name is sexy I just don't feel the wine is "dirty" enough for me. So whether you like this wine or not I know it would be a hit at any party because of the name. I'm sure it might evoke some interesting conversations and facebook statuses to say the least!

*Oaky- Having the aroma and flavor of oak, resulting from aging in oak casks or barrels. Oak-like qualities may impart smokiness, vanilla tones, or clove or other spicy characteristics. Some oakiness is desirable, but too much is not.

~Beth