Gloria Ferrer

Bob Iantosca is the kind of winemaker who is always looking for better fruit, better techniques in the winery, and better integration of the two. He once told me he could tell which people he hired were going to do well in the winery, because they could keep track of several things at once without getting confused. This wine might confuse some people, because it’s not the typical oak/butter California Chardonnay and it’s not a stainless steel streamliner either. It’s a wine with most of the best features of both styles, including the viscous richness of barrel fermentation and the freshness and food-friendliness of 13.5% alcohol and 3.33 pH.

You can easily imagine the cool, misty spring of 2005 in the wine’s shy, green apple aromas. In your mouth, those apples taste like they were baked into a warm pie with some lemon zest and a graham cracker crust. The palate-pleasing texture and good balance make the wine easy to drink, as does the refreshing quality of the finish. Overall, a lovely white table wine that can both light up your mouth with bright acid and stand up to sauced poultry or pasta. Good deal for under $20.

Reviewed July 10, 2007 by Thom Elkjer.