2009 Picket Fence Chardonnay



Disclaimer: This bottle was sent to us by the folks over at 585 Wine Partners, not purchased by the First Pour Wine. The opinions expressed are solely those of First Pour Wine.

Way back when, First Pour Wine reviewed a bottle of Cabernet Sauvigon from Red Truck Wines.  The folks at 585 were nice enough to send over a bunch of their wine for us to go through and try, as well as for trying to educate our viewers and readers.  While the video portion of the site has gotten hung up on some complications (corked wines in videos, corked wines in not videos, travel, external hard drive failures, and the Hilton internet), the reviews are still strong, so without further ado, lets talk about 2009 Picket Fence Chardonnay.

Chardonnay from the Russian River Valley in California tends to be some of the best Chardonnay coming out of California.  The cool climate makes it particularly hospitable to bordeaux varietals, such as Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.   585 happens to own Picket Fence, which is located in the Russian River Valley, and also specializes in making both varietals.  Given these facts, the Chardonnay should be pretty good.  So is the fence good at holding out the riff-raff, or does it let just any old grape in?

Sight:  Golden, but a bit on the lighter end.

Smell:  The subtly starts here, with a slightly creamy, slightly vanilla odor.  It picks up sweeter lemon elements, and pear.  There are also minor touches of starfruit.

Sip:  Not particularly vibrant in nature, but it has a very round mouth feel characteristic of chardonnay.  It’s somewhat reminiscent of lemon cream and vanilla, but it’s so subtle, and lacks depth that’s easy to find. [A.B.V. 13.8%]

Savor:  The after taste more or less vanishes, but there are some touches of cedar.

Overall, it’s just a bit too understated.  It’s not by any means a bad chardonnay, it just misses the mark of being truly robust and deep.  Slightly forgettable unfortunately, but perhaps other vintages are better.

P.S. Serious props to Picket Fence for putting a pull tab on the back to allow drinkers to have a quick easy way of remembering what wine they drank.

Verdict:  Indiana Jones IV
Price:  $9.99 [for the shoppers willing to hunt]
Russian River Valley, California