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2007 Casa Lapostolle Cuvee Alexandre Chardonnay-Atalayas Vineyard

After a weekend of heavy reds (both meat & wine), I made grilled chicken with linguini alfredo and a caesar salad for dinner tonight. I opted to serve it with a bottle of 2007 Casa Lapostolle Cuvee Alexandre Chardonnay.

My husband is not a Chardonnay fan. He always expects California wood-chewing chardonnay circa 1990 even though he has been exposed to numerous ones that he finds "surprisingly good". He extolled the virtues of the dinner and wine and even poured himself a second glass with a second helping of pasta (although he had plans to hit the gym shortly thereafter and usually does not partake on those days).

With the first sniff of this lemon-colored wine, you could tell it had some exposure to oak-aging but not overwhelmingly so. The fresh-squeezed lemon scent was dominant. The second inhalation was full of butterscotch notes. With the next swirl and sniff, it was pure lemon-butter. It invited you to take a sip, so I did. It had enough acidity to cut right through the alfredo sauce. On the palate, it was honey-covered toast that ended in a lingering creamy lemon-butter finish that made you want to look at your plate to check to see what you were eating. Delightful!

This wine is from the Casablanca Valley in Chile which is known for producing exceptional white wines. The winemakers choose to grow their grapes organically and bio-dynamically. The crisp freshness and natural flavors are very pervasive in their final product. At approximately $20 a bottle, this is a great wine at a good price.

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