Variety: 100% Chardonnay
Region: Tupungato Valley, Mendoza, Argentina
Cost: $13 (SRP)
Winemaker’s Notes: Light yellow with green hues. Tropical and citrus aromas followed by a medium body and fruity palate. Ideal with white fish, shellfish, and white meat dishes.
My Review: So several weeks ago I was approached about a few wines from Domaine Bousquet. I recently shared my thoughts on the rose’, but the real reason that I accepted the offer was because of this wine – the Unoaked Domaine Bousquet Chardonnay.
Chardonnay is a hard sell in my house (my wife doesn’t like oaked Chardonnay), so I jumped at the chance to try one that hadn’t seen any wood.
In the glass the wine was a light yellow color, and on the nose the wine showed citrus. In the mouth the wine was crisp and refreshing, with flavors of green apple and citrus and a nice clean finish.
My wife and I paired the wine with turkey burgers off the grill, and I really liked the pairing, especially since the crispness of the wine was a nice counter to some richer flavors we added to the burgers through avocado (gotta add some fat to a turkey burger!).
I know a lot of people like to take Chardonnay to summer gatherings and cookouts because it’s “approachable” or because “it’s what I could get at the store”. Those are what I like to call excuses. There are better options out there for you than the same oaked Chardonnay, especially with the heat we’re seeing.
Do yourself a favor and find something that’s more refreshing AND has that magical word that everyone that drinks white wine at the cookout wants to see. Trust me, for $13, it’s worth a little extra searching.
Editor’s Note: I received this wine as a free sample for review.