Pacific Crest Wine Co. 2015 Centennial Trail Chardonnay

   So the other day I was relaxing around the house waiting for my Tempranilo vines to arrive in the mail when I received an E-Mail from Mr. Mark Feinberg who is the Senior Account Executive for Balzac Communications & Marketing (http://balzac.com/) located in Napa California inquiring as to whether I was interested in sampling (without charge) three of the wines from two of the wine accounts they represent which are Oregon Trails Wine Co which is located in the Willamette Valley Oregon & the Pacific Crest Wine Company which is located in the Columbia Valley in Washington State. I told him that I would be delighted to and a few days later I received a box in the mail containing three wines, one of which is our review wine the Pacific Crest Wine Co. 2015 Centennial Trail Chardonnay (https://pacificcrestwineco.com/wine-info/). So today happens to be a beautiful day here in the Las Vegas Valley and all my work is done is the Vineyard (yeah right) so I brought my Laptop outside by the pool along with some music (70's & 80's only) and of course the wine and here we are. Let's start off this review with the following information. This wine is 100% Chardonnay and comes in at 14.8% Alcohol, it is also kept for four (4) months in French Oak as well. The Winemaker for this wine is winemaker Linda Trotta and the wine retails for $16.99. Let's now dig into this wine and see what I think about it.

Winemaker Linda Trotta

   The first thing I can tell you is that this wine is sealed with a Cork and not a Screw Cap, that in itself earned this wine points in my book right off the bat. The graphics on the bottle itself were designed really nicely and with thought. The wine inside was presented nicely as I liked the semi see through bottle that contained it.
   Moving to the nose of this wine I will tell you that the minute the wine was opened I was able to pick up it's Bouquet as the bottle sat on the counter waiting for me to get a glass. Notes of Peach, Nectarine and floral notes announced themselves immediately and I actually was confused as to whether it was the Peaches that were in the tray in front of me on the Kitchen counter or whether it was actually the wine. Taking the wine outside settled that confusion as there were no peaches outside, it really was the wine, nice.
   Let's talk for a minute about how the wine presented itself in my glass. I was immediately impressed by the medium Golden in color liquid that was sat my glass. The Sun was out and shined brightly on the wine and it sparkled and enticed me to try it right now. As you can probably imagine I am dying to taste this wine anyway so I gave in and did indeed take a sip, hopefully it will not disappoint. Ar this point, judging solely by the wonderful Bouquet and the incredible appearance of the wine in my glass, I am anticipating a super nice wine. let's find out if my hopes do indeed become a reality.

   Moving to the Palette now I will tell you first off that this wine does indeed have slight Barrel Tannins (or Polyphenols) that are actually rather nice (I love Tannins) and that you will notice. These Barrel Tannins really become an integral part of the wine and your tasting experience of it without being anywhere near the point of approaching dominance or being overpowering, they simply present what comes across as acidity. I will tell you that there is Apple (or Malic Acid) note on the Palette but that would be an understatement. I am talking about an Apple (Malic Acid) that brings a sort of semi brightness and slight tanginess to the wine and also presents itself nicely as does the other notes present such as medium Lemon that sat at an absolutely perfect level and because of that there certainly is no puckering of the mouth nor anything even close going on. Yes, there is indeed a tropical semi-tartness to the wine but once again nothing in the way of offensiveness only pure brightness and liveliness which I thought was outstanding. Let's discuss the note of creaminess that the varietal is sometimes known for. I would not say that this Chardonnay is "creamy" as it really brings with it that sense of zest in the form of Lemon that really tries it's best to exclude or eliminate any creaminess. Guys, let me stop for a second and tell you right now that it is hard for me to continue this review as all I want to do is sit back and enjoy this wine. I will not allow myself to do that however because I want...no need to go on and tell you what you are missing out on. As the varietal is known for as well, there is a note of  Limestone here that brings a moderate mineral quality to the wine that is simply outstanding and yeah, I said outstanding folks.There is also plenty of fruit on the palette as well. As on the nose there are tropical notes of Peach and Nectarine although these notes are not overpowering they begin on the front palette and last through the finish rather nicely. I know that you are wondering now whether or not this is a fruit forward White, have no worries, it is not. The fruit is more on the moderate side and very enjoyable without being overpowering. As I previously mentioned, the wine is aged in French Oak for 4 months yet again no worries as this is not an overly oaked (Malolactic Fermentation) type wine by any means.  For those of you who are tired of the overly oaked interpretation of this varietal you have found your Chardonnay. Before leaving the discussion of the Oak however, I will tell you that the French Oak is noticeable and if you are completely turned off by an Oaked Chardonnay I would recommend that you look for another wine as you will certainly taste the Oak. Having said that I want to let you know that there is some nice White Pepper on the Palette which actually flatters the fruitier side of this wine and keeps it in check. This wine is not done folks, there is more to it and I am enjoying this wine tremendously. The wine has note of fairly decent minerality and semi racy acidity that it gladly places on display for the taster to enjoy. Let me say as well that this is somewhat a combination of warm weather and cool weather Chardonnay, sort of a best of both worlds actually. Perhaps it would be better explained as a blending of Old World and New World together. One thing to mention is that the wine is lacking a buttery note that the varietal is known for however there is a slightly oily note that can be mistaken for it. Once again as with all the other notes, this particular one does not attempt to overpower or cover any of the other notes and each note is expressed fully, allowing for a full bodied and somewhat complex white wine. Well, it is time to wrap this review up so let's move on and do just that.

Washington State AVA's

   In my opinion the wine has a lot to offer for loves of the varietal grown in hot as well as cooler climates. Although this particular wine is grown in a hot region it exhibits the characteristics of both and I am loving it, I couldn't ask for more in a Chardonnay. Folks I am super upset that I only have 1 bottle because I easily could have enjoyed another. The wine is that incredible. I have one last thing to say before I give my rating. I have had many people send me free wine and I have bombed a lot of free wine. I say this because I do not want you, the reader to think that I am giving this wine rave reviews simply because I was given it for free. This wine is outstanding because the winemaker did a great job with great grapes, that is it. Mrs. Trotta my hat is off to you. Having said that I give this wine 93 points and it earned every point.
                                                                                                                The Desert Wine Guy
www.desertwineguy.blogspot.com/

www.facebook.com/DesertWineGuy?fref=nf

https://twitter.com/DesertWineGuyLV

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgCUb3w1n2S_UGU2yYRkFYQ/videos