Wine: Gainey 2001 Chardonnay (2.75 Stars)

Had Gainey Vineyard's 2001 Chardonnay tonight. This wine is not to be confused with the Vineyard's Limited Selection Chardonnay.

This website says:

The aromas of this Chardonnay are fruit-centric and in high volume. Baked apple is the core character, but lovely contributions of perfume, marzipan and butter fill out the presentation. The wine enters the palate cleanly and, as the aroma foretells, delivers fruit in a big way. Here there are more citrus flavors than were evident in the nose. The acid is keenly balanced to create a freshness and fullness at the same time. Enjoy this Chardonnay as an aperitif or paired with any number of seafood or poultry dishes.

I thought that this wine fell a little short. With all the fruit and robustness of today's Chardonnays, I didn't taste the "fruit in a big way" as described above. I didn't find all the fullness that was advertised.

I did like the balance and smoothness of the wine; it was fresh and the acid was controlled. But, in general I thought it fell a little short, in particular for a $15 bottle in today's California Chardonnay glut.

On Winejudging.com this wine was a bronze medal winner in the $13 to $25 category. If you take a look at the link then you will see how many wines that are listed on it. With all of those opportunities to try moderately priced Chardonnay...then I've got no compelling reason to recommend this one unless you are looking for something safe and smooth.