When you think of Chardonnay you probably think of Carneros or Russian River Valley or Chablis or even those execrable “critter wines” from Australia.
But North Carolina?
Well, yes. I just tasted the 2010 Reserve Chardonnay from Biltmore Winery in Asheville, N.C., and if it’s any indication of the caliber of wine that’s coming out of a state probably better known for NASCAR than vino the folks in Carneros and elsewhere better start looking over their shoulders.
Just to make the point clearer, it’s not only the winery that’s in North Carolina. It’s that the grapes—mostly Chardonnay with a touch of Viogner—were grown there, on 94 acres of vineyard on the French Broad River, first planted in 1971.
This is very food-friendly, approachable, affordable ($15) Chardonnay, deftly balancing a bit of richness from partial malolactic fermentation with a soft Meyer lemon acidity accentuated by a hint of oak from aging in new French and American barrels. The Viognier gives it slight but noticeable floral-tropical fruit aromas and flavors, without overwhelming the varietal character of Chardonnay.
I poured it with the famous (to food sluts, anyway) “Judy Chicken,” a whole bird dry-brined for 24 to 48 hours before roasting at high temperature, the way it’s done by chef Judy Rodgers at San Francisco’s estimable Zuni Café. The combination couldn’t have been better. Well, maybe with two chickens and two bottles. . .
Anyway, the wine’s available on the Biltmore website,http://www.biltmore.com/visit/antler_hill_village/default.asp, and if you don’t think it kicks the cork out wines costing a lot more from a lot of better-known wine-producing regions, just send the rest of the bottle to me. I’ll be more than happy to finish it.
