Wine review: Meridian 2006 Chardonnay

Source: Flickr

Source: Flickr

Rating

Disagree

Winery

Meridian

Vintage

2006

Grape

Chardonnay

Where

California, USA

Price

$8.00

Buy at

Trader Joes

This wine is good for...
a house party
a dinner party
weekend fun
relaxing at home

Jon says... Don't Buy

Boring wine. It’s got some fruit flavors, but nothing special. It’s got some oak, but not enough to be one of those oak-bomb chardonnays. This is the Meg of the California chardonnays. And just like Meg, it’s obnoxious. You pour yourself a glass of it and feel obligated to finish it before you move on to something better.

The Smoking Loon chardonnay moderates fruit and oak flavors in a way that works. The Meridian tries for the same balance, but falls flat on its face. But it does have a cool painting on the label (very early ’90’s).

Ted says... Buy

This is a very good example of what a Chardonnay should be. On the nose it nice fruit—green apple, a bit of pineapple, and even a little tangerine. It is full bodied and has very nice oakiness that gives it good structure. It is a nicely balanced wine and a pleasure to drink. This wine is a delight on it’s own, or with food, is going to go great with seafood, BBQ chicken, or even a hearty pasta dish.

The best part about the wine is the back label which reads: