This Newton Chardonnay is a perfect example of the balance and elegance that can be found in Sonoma Chardonnays at a good price when they're done right.
There's not too much oak, or butter. Rather, this wine tasted more Burgundian in style, more Chablis-like where the fruit really has a chance to shine through.
We enjoyed this wine much more than expected. Costco's price was $18.99 which is pretty competitive compared to what I could find online where it was as high as $26, and consistently in the low $20's.
Part of the strength of this wine clearly lies in the vineyards from which the grapes are sourced. In this case, it's a blend of some of Sonoma's top areas including Knights Valley, Alexander Valley, Russian River Valley and Dry Creek Valley.
On the nose this wine has a vanilla creaminess, followed by stone fruit; in the mouth are flavors of apple, pear and orange; it's very clean, fruit driven with a hint of oak towards the finish. The wine is medium in body and citrusy throughout.
I think this bottle is an excellent buy and we enjoyed with a small group that included one person who wasn't a huge Chardonnay fan, but they enjoyed this one. We also paired it with some smoked chicken from the Big Green Egg that was dynamite, so that helps of course too.
A good summer wine here, super food friendly, and another addition to our Recommended Wine List. I'll be buying more of this wine this summer.
CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 90 points (a CostcoWineBlog Recommended Wine)
Costco item number: 381616
Purchased at Costco in: Atlanta, GA
Alc. 13.8%
