In Part 1 of “Winter White Wines” we looked at a dry Riesling from Austria and a Verdejo from Spain. Here are two more nice “Winter Whites” involving Chardonnay:

2021 Chateau Domecq White Blend ($13.99)

Chateau Domecq is one of the leading brands in Mexico. The Chateau Domecq wines offer exceptional value in the growing category of Mexican wines from the Valle de Guadalupe which is located inland from Ensenada in Baja California. The Mediterranean climate, morning fog from the Pacific Ocean, and valley topography is similar to parts of California.

This Chateau Domecq White is 70% Chardonnay and 30% Viognier. The Chardonnay is fermented and aged in 2nd use French oak barrels for 6 months with periodic bâtonnage (stirring the lees or, dead yeast, during the aging and maturation of wine) to give body and smoothness. The Viognier adds some richness and a smooth mouth-feel. The Chardonnay and Viognier are blended just before bottling. It is deep gold in color with subtle aromas of pear. On the palate it has great richness and smoothness with flavors of peach and pineapple.

2019 Ritual Chardonnay ($20.99)

This wine is from the Casablanca Valley of Chile, a cool climate area on the northwestern side of Chile’s coastal range that is less than 20 miles from the Pacific Ocean.

This wine is produced from 100% Chardonnay grapes. A portion of the fruit is whole-cluster fermented in concrete eggs (20%) to increase the wine’s texture and fruit flavors. The rest is fermented in oak barrels (20% new/60% neutral) which delivers structure, complexity and silkiness. After fermentation, the wine is stirred on-lees regularly in order to achieve its maximum expression.

This Ritual Chardonnay is medium gold in color with aromas of baked apple, pear and citrus along with some earthiness. On the palate, this dry Chardonnay (1.3 G/L residual sugar) has bright citrus fruit flavors and bold acidity (7.79 G/L).

Remember, as we learned previously, to get the fullest and richest flavors from these wines, serve them a bit warmer, in the 50-55° F range. Cheers!

Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received these samples at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Samples Provided by Gonzalez Byass via Donna White Communications