2006 Bouchaine Chene d'Argent Chardonnay  Just released Summer 2007

Chene d'Argent means "silvery oak" and alludes to the unoaked, stainless steel fermented style of this Chardonnay. It demonstrates what pure and unadulterated Chardonnay tastes like, when reared in silvery stainless steel vessels and without the distraction of oak.

Bouchaine winemaker Michael Richmond explains his thoughts on this wine, "Somewhere along the way, California Chardonnay producers began loading their lovely fruit with heavy oak and buttery richness that identified the classic French style.  As the modern palate seeks beyond ponderously rich cuisine, so the modern palate seeks beyond the weighty caricatures of chardonnay, turning instead to the more sprightly styled varieties, perhaps justly confusing variety with style.  But it doesn’t have to be that way.  The pedigree of Chardonnay, the queen of white varieties, cannot be denied.  When deftly styled to sparkle with complexity and liveliness rather than cloaked in robes of fat butterscotch, an intriguing and compelling taste experience awaits."  

  $21.00