Hey there CA fam,

I love wine but I'm definitely more of a red drinker than a white fan. Recently my wife has decided she wants to drink more Chardonnay, not sure why other than we've been eating a lot more fish than usual lately. I'm looking to find one that will fit her palate.

She's not a big fan of the crisp fruity Chardonnays so I'm looking for something a little more soft and rounder. Buttery is what she's going for so possibly a Sur Lie Chard if possible.

So if you could recommend a good bottle of Chardonnay that you think is rich and buttery it would be greatly appreciated. Price is always a concern so let's keep it under $100 if possible. Thanks everyone :-)
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Lots of options out there for under $100 (under $50 even).
We'll talk more over dinner on Friday.
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Excellent! Thanks Poon :-)

Can't wait to see you guys!
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In California chards, at the $25-30/level, Rombauer or Frank Family are pretty safe choices. As for higher end ones . . . well, I'm a "red-man" too, so I wouldn't spend any more than that on a white, so I wouldn't know. :-)


You should perhaps note that, due to criticisms Cali vintners received in recent years, and a subsequent switch by many consumers to Sauvignon Blancs, Pinot Grigios, etc., they have been producing many chards that are less oaky and buttery than in the past. Ask you local sommelier what he'd suggest.
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Cakebread for the win. It's about the only white wine worth a damn in my book.
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This will probably sound stupid but I hardly ever spend over 15 bucks on a chard. My regulars are fetzer, bogle, ghost pines, and frei brothers. Frei bros is about my top end for whites, because my palate can't discern the differences of higher priced whites. At least not enough to justify the price.
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sheesh!! if you're willing to go big bucks, you may consider a good white Burgundy.:-)
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For my :-) my wife and I are red wine drinkers also, and stay away from the buttery Cali wines, but we have found Coppola Diamond Chard to be a decent wine, not to heavy on the oak as some from Cali are, but enough to smooth out that crispness your wife would rather not have.
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Ch. St. Jean or Ch. St. Michelle have buttery Chards that are reasonably priced under $20.
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I hear Franzia is good. :-)
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I Always enjoy Sonoma Cutrer Russian River Ranches, and their Les Pierre also. DeLoach OFS, Cakebread, Ferrari-Carano are some others, and if I feel like splurging, Far Niente has never let me down.
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Thanks for the recommendations everyone :-)

I will definitely be trying some Cakebread, Ghost Pines, Coppola Diamond and some of the others. Looking forward to it.

rizzle, I've tried a few bottles of Far Niente and while I think they are good my wife wasn't a huge fan, a little too much citrus for her.

Thomas, yeah I had heard the same things in regards to the buttery/oaky flavor profiles. Such a sad thing
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MMMMM cakebread is great - but then again...I've really enjoyed this as well http://deercreekvineyards.com/cgi-bi...play.cgi?cat=3
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