Perspective is Informed by Experience

The story: I live a lot of my life on the road, due to my day job. Some might say too much of my life but I guess it is just a matter of perspective. Whereas there are nights in hotels during which I would trade anything to sleep in my own bed, there are also adventures in exploring great new cities (on someone else's dime). While there are mid-week meals eaten alone in quiet restaurants during which I miss my family, there is also an intensity to my weekend time with them that eliminates any sense of taking them for granted. I often tell people what my schedule is like and get a negative reaction in response. "How can you stand that?" Or "I could never stay in a hotel three nights a week." In the end I find I have less patience these days with these types of blanket statements based partly on inexperience. My family has been diligent to make this work for us, and I rather enjoy both my career and my family time.

I find the same sort of across the board generalization to happen in wine. People make up their mind about what they do and don't like, what they will and won't drink, based on a relatively limited exposure to what is actually available. It seems that no other grape gets this treatment more frequently than Chardonnay. I can see how the commonness of the grape, or the rather outgoing personality of the grape may rub some the wrong way, but I bristle when I hear folks say "I can't stand Chardonnay," or "I have never found a Chardonnay I enjoy." If you don't wish to spend your money or time on Chardonnay find, but you should at least recognize that the wide diversity in the varietal is enough that we could probably find one you enjoy if we just looked. An unwillingness to be open to life's variety, is a willingness to miss out on surprise.

The wine: I recently came across a Chardonnay that changed my perspective about what a balanced application of light oak can truly due (and yes I am usually less inclined to drink oaky Chardonnay). The 2009 Domaine de Deux Roches St. Veran Rives de Longsault shines a rich golden yellow in the glass. It offers a nose of golden apple, a touch of oak, and a light herbaceousness. The elements wrap together so that none stands out in a way that can not necessarily be described but is obvious when enjoying the fresh aromas of this wine. The wine is medium bodied and lithe across the palate, and yet it retains a richness throughout. The golden apple prevails, with hints of malolactic flavors and a persistent citrus and minerality that carries the wine from front to back. The finish is everlasting, a pleasant bitterness rounded out by a great sense of almonds.

The verdict: Don't get me wrong, this wine is obviously Chardonnay from appearance, to aroma, to taste. And yet it was a completely different Chardonnay experience than I had previously had. Somewhere between its Macon roots and its unapologetic spicing with a bit of barrique, this wine finds a middle ground that absolutely does it for me. At $19.95 I was also more than happy to sing its praises. Why such a pleasing wine got me thinking about the naysayers who miss out on life, well I guess that is just where my soul was today.....