Fifth in the series of aperitif wines served at the Kesslers Cassoulet Dinner 2015.
And there it stands. The last wine. And quite frankly, one I’ve purposely been saving for last, because it is Chardonnay. Chardonnay is worrisome for me, simply because there is so much poorly made wine under the umbrella of this grape, which is a shame, because it can be wonderful, even transcendent, but so often isn’t, so often either simple green apple or criminally overloaded to the other side with over-manipulation and obliterating oak vanilla spice and butter.
But Lou can be tricky. He’s a wily old coyote and not above playing wine games with the people he invites, and he loves to surprise the sophisticated wine geeks and jaded professionals. And here he has done it again, and smiles silently when the folks start splashing and sampling.
This particular evocation of chardonnay is from the Friuli, that north-easterly-most corner of Italy that is fairly equally divided among the remnants of the Austro-Hungarian empire, the Slovenes next door, and the Italians.
Mind you, some great wines come from here, most from indigenous grapes, but there is a fair amount of the “international varieties” scattered around as well. I’ll step up in front and say that I dearly love the Friuli; it’s one of the few places I would willingly retire to and live out my years, and wine is a hefty portion of that love.
That being said, as much as I love the region, and the wine, and am even impressed normally by this winery, I have to say that this is one weird little Chardonnay. Blind me on this one and I am apt to say, in desperation, a Viognier or Roussanne…maybe (but with no conviction in my voice); or a really, really shy Gewurztraminer from a place I don’t know. Or an obscure authochthonous variety from the depths of the Carpathian Mountains. Or I would simply say, “Okay, I’m stumped.”
The Vie de Romans Chardonnay, Friuli 2013 doesn’t taste like a primary chardonnay. Maybe a chardonnay with a float of something else, something that is slightly floral, more quince than apple, and has a spicy tang to it. It is rather pleasant, actually, and not at all difficult to drink: it just doesn’t make me think “Chardonnay.” I don’t know whether that’s good or bad; the wine simply puzzles me.
