The 2015 Merryvale Chardonnay is a real deal California Chardonnay priced way below what I would expect after tasting it. Although they are a Napa area staple (I frequently stop at the Gotts across the street for lunch, but haven't made it to the winery yet), I always associated Merryvale with middle of the road wines.
This Chardonnay is changing my perception. Next time I'm grabbing a burger across the street, I plan to make my way over to the winery.
Costco's price is $23.99, which is quite a bit off the retail of $35, but I noticed K&L (one the of the best online wine merchants) had it for $25 online. So Costco's price is more than fair, and quite frankly well worth it for a wine of this complexity and dimension.
Golden yellow on the pour, this wine has a little spice on the nose, and starts with big aromas of baked apple pie with cinnamon, into some green apple, lemon and lime flavors; it's fairly hefty in the mouth leaning towards full in body; good acidity. The finish is dyno-mite, with a little bite and it sticks around forever.
I know most people don't decant white wines, but I'm going to recommend decanting this one. It really changed over the course of an hour from when I pulled the cork to when I had it poured in a few glasses with exposure. And the second round of pours released even more beauty.
And the critics seems to agree, giving this one 90+ points across the board; the highest rating coming in at a whopping 94 points from Wine Enthusiast.
I have a feeling Costco's price on this wine might be among the best we'll see. If this sounds like your type of Chardonnay you're in luck. I have to admit, this one surprised me, in a good way, with quite a big more going on than I expected. I'll be adding to our Top Picks list (which has quite a few good Chardonnays on it lately; perfect for the fall months).
One more note on this wine. This would be a nice white to put away for later as we enter the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday months. When it's cold out, and you're celebrating these holidays, a wimpy weak white just won't hold up. This wine will. I plan to pop one of these out at the Thanksgiving table, alongside some other reds.
CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 92 points
Costco item number: 134609
Purchased at Costco in: Atlanta, GA
Alc. 14.5%
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