2011 Mer Soleil Silver Unoaked Chardonnay, Santa Lucia Highlands Monterey Co. California

$18 at Costco Warehouse

2011 Mer Soleil Silver Unoaked Chardonnay

First thing I have to say is that I bought this wine strictly for the bottle.  I’m a sucker for cool wine bottles, or anything unusual for that matter.  This bottle is a crock.  No, not a crock like a crock of bull but an actual crock like crockery.  I was apprehensive about what to expect since it is an “unoaked” wine and it is the oak in the wine casks that “tempers” the acidity of the wine as well as the fact that my experience with “cool” wine bottles is that the wine contained inside is not terrible good so I wasn’t sure what to expect so…

The color is the same pale yellow that I have come to expect from a chard. but the aroma is sharp and crisp.  It reminds me of apple cider.  The flavor is crisp with prominent apple followed by (of all things) lemon.  This is a wine not to be consumed alone.  The acidity level is relatively high.  We started the tasting of this wine alone and I was not impressed but then I added the meat and cheese platter that I use with the tastings and wow! what a change!!  The fatty salami and cheese transformed the wine into something just short of remarkable.  The salami softened the apple crispness and enhanced the lemon without raising the tang associated with lemon.  I think this wine would go well with salmon, Chilean sea bass, or premium tuna packed in oil.

While I am conflicted as to how much I would purchase of this wine, I would (and will be) definitely purchasing more – maybe four to six bottles?

I give this wine a 3.5+ out of 5 stars.