MIPTC#10 - Carmen Premier Chardonnay 2020

Hiya! Welcome to your daily drink with yours truly! Whether this is your first #MIPTC experience or you are a veteran who has seen this little thingy grow from infancy, I wish you a very warm welcome to our little corner of the LinkedIn world where we like to celebrate the end of the week with our favorite liquid libation.

So, as I've said in my post yesterday, today is a little frantic since I will be teaching my first ever law school class this very morning. I therefore didn't drink last night as I had to travel, but that didn't mean I forgot about you folks!

Rather, I thought I'd use this week's post to let you in on a secret weapon of mine regarding social events and gatherings. If you are part of my close group of friends, you probably know my wife and I love to entertain at home, and we do it quite a bit whenever the sanitary situation permits. This is partly because we love it and have the house for it, but also because it's WAY easier to manage a toddler in his own stuff than it is to carry a full U-Haul to a friend's place only to see him chew on the walls after a hot minute (been there, done that).

Back when I started hosting dinner parties and the like, I would always go for the fancy wine as I felt this was an "occasion" deserving of the good stuff. Whether I was having a couple or 15 people over was irrelevant: I always reached for the top shelf.

Now, don't get me wrong, this was nice and I got to enjoy nice wines I probably wouldn't have opened on my own back then (silly me), but it also got a bit frustrating. For instance, I recall getting only about half a glass of a beautiful Auxey-Duresses I had been saving for years and which had - for good reason - been very popular at a big gathering I had. I also often felt like people didn't make enough room for the wine in our conversation despite it being definitely noteworthy.

After a few years of disappointments and frustrations like this, I experimented with solutions, including the one I ultimately settled with: no fancy wine for groups over 8, which I also call the Magnum rule (it sounds fancier). Essentially, if you can't serve a single magnum (1.5L bottle format containing two standard 750ml bottles) and adequately imbibe your group over an entrée (apéro and dessert excluded), then don't go for the big guns.

Of course, my friends know I am a wine nerd and have grown to expect quality and refinement when they come over - or at least I very much like to tell myself that. I therefore had to find a way to respect the Magnum rule without compromising too much on general quality. This is where this stunning little white wine comes in.

To be 100% fair, this was initially suggested by my father-in-law, a man who knows his wine and generally does not skip on anything worthwhile in life. He's an inspiration on that last point and I love him dearly for it (and, up to this summer at least, his pool). He turned me on to this as the ultimate buy-it-by-the-case-and-have-a-party white, and since then I must have bought about 4 cases and I am nowhere near stopping.

So yeah, let's get to it, shall we?

The Skinny

• From: Valle del Colchagua, Chile

• Varietals: Chardonnay 100%

• Price: $12,95 CAD

• Feature: None

Tasting Notes

On the nose, this has well-integrated of lily flower, pineapple, pear and chalk with just a bit of buttered toast and almond undertones. It is simple and fresh despite the latter notes which give it just a smidge of that "oaked Chardonnay" vibe that is known to be very divisive among wine folks (some hate, some love - and I'm usually more of a hater). This is nice and clean, though!

On the palate, this has presence and weight and is definitely not your zippy built-on-acid type of white. Of course, I'm not saying this lacks on acidity, as it has a clear backbone that keeps things light despite the density of the wine. The same basic flavours found on the nose carry through with ease and even a smidge of elegance that makes you think this should be at least a 20$+ can. 13.5% ABV means we are on the limit of getting a bit overwhelming on the alcohol burn side, but the fleshy nature of the wine aptly keeps this in check.

Cutting To The Chase: Does It Please The Cork?

I've already said I buy this by the case, so it is no surprise that I would warmly recommend it. This is a wonderful everyday wine for those who wish to keep costs down while enjoying a quality product, and also a superb party wine that you won't feel too story spilled and/or did not bring up the kind of elevated wino conversation you might wish for your other bottles.

Overall, if you wish to be Italian about it and consider wine a simple condiment to your dining experience, then this is a lovely bottle to do exactly that, sit back and enjoy life.

Cork Score: 3/5*

***

*Here's the lowdown on the scores, by the way. Essentially, I don't believe in 100-point scales for things as subjective as wine. Simply put, I just don't think one can credibly justify a 1% or even a 10% increment between two wines. I therefore choose to go a bit more basic. Here's how I break it down:

• 1/5: Seriously faulty, terrible, undrinkable;

• 2/5: Flawed and/or of bad quality. This is the type of stuff you should probably cook with and not drink;

• 3/5: Decent. This is where most entries will end up. These wines are clean and well-balanced, but not particularly memorable and/or exceptional. They are recommendable, but not an experience per se;

• 4/5: Exceptional. I sadly drink few wines that get this rating, but my purpose is to drink more. This denotes a memorable bottle that brought up some kind of emotion in me. This left a mark, and odds are I am now busy recommending it to everybody I know;

• 5/5: Perfect. I think I have probably tasted less than 5 bottles that would have qualified for a 5/5 in my entire life. This denotes an absolutely incredible wine that will imprint a definite memory for years to come - a true experience in itself.