I think the common conception is that the more you age a wine, the better it gets. This is not true at all actually, in fact for the bulk of wine produced is meant to be enjoyed the moment you get it home from the store (not during the car ride home, believe it or not there are laws against that).

Heady Chardonnays age well (short term aging, figure around 5 years is your sweet spot) because all of that brash flavor comes down a notch and mellows out on your palate. A bold one year old wine will have bold rich oak or butter, but the acidity will be brash or the aftertaste will be unpleasant. If the grapes are of quality, a well aged Chardonnay will give you the best of both worlds. Bold and rich flavor, but in a rounded out fashion that comes from being mellowed by the aging process.

So the Chardonnay inspiring my latest diatribe is a 2002 Dry Creek Vineyards Chardonnay.

Apples immediately on the nose, also oak.

The flavor lingers but there isn’t a lot of acid, it’s just a rich overall with a hint of butter and a subtle oak to compliment the fruit.

Further, the fruit has a citrusy nature to it, yet still low acidity; I attribute this to the aging.

This is just a mellow and lush white wine, rich in flavor.

The color is this clear, golden hay kind of hue, it’s delightful:

Oh, and there was sediment at the bottom. Not much, White Wine is much different than Red Wine (Red Wine sediment is like sand or crystals). It basically looks like bits of oak.

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I live in the Detroit area and I'm working toward certification as a wine expert, called a Master Sommelier. So far I'm in the Guild. Aside from working six days a week, I spend way too much time playing video games and putzing around on the internet. I'm also a Michigan State Graduate (BS Human resources, BA Sociology) and a hardcore sports fan.
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