Varietal: Chardonnay
Region: California – Sonoma County – USA
Cost: $11
Light in the glass with aromas of tropical fruit. Â Flavors of pear, apple, and pineapple with a creamy finish that pairs well with cream-sauced chicken, salmon, and mild cheeses.
Recommendations: While at Costco this weekend doing our monthly shopping trip, my wife and I picked up a bottle of the Simi Chardonnay to pair with the salmon we had already grabbed earlier in the shopping trip. Â The back label of the wine claimed it would pair well with salmon, and I’ve always liked Chardonnay to cut through the fat of a good piece of salmon so it sounded like a good idea.
When we cooked the salmon, we put it under the broiler with a mustard herb crust that was, at least in my opinion, quite tasty. Â My wife really outdid herself on that one. Â As for the wine itself – meh. Â The color was nice – a light golden color, and the flavors weren’t bad, pineapple, pear, and apple with just a hint of the creamy, buttery finish that I expect from Chardonnay, and while it did a good job of cutting through the richness of the salmon, I can’t honestly say that I would buy it again.
It’s a lowest common denominator wine. Â What I mean by that is that if I was having a wedding, and I had to select a red and a white to offer, this is the kind of white I would choose. Â It will satisfy the largest number of people, won’t cost a lot, and will go with chicken, fish, or cream pasta. Â It’s a generic wine. Â It reminded me a lot of a Yellowtail Chardonnay, which is another lowest common denomination wine.
So while the wine was ok with dinner, in the end, I know I could have done better for the price point, or at least the same for a few dollars less. Â Not worth picking up.
