The Other Silver

It’s starting to heat up here in California, which may have made this wine even more appealing to me, but nonetheless the Mer Soleil Silver Unoaked Chardonnay 2006 blew me away. Coming from Caymus’ Santa Lucia Highlands vineyard, it just highlights again how on their game the Wagners are. I tend to prefer aromatics over oak, and fruit over butter, and this wine offers up boatloads of both. Despite it being all stainless fermentation it still had tremendous body and richness rarely found in unoaked whites. The Aussies have been making and drinking tons of unoaked Chards for years now, but for some reason, the American palate has been slow to catch on, which I find a huge shame considering how food friendly this wine is while at the same time being the perfect summer cocktail wine. Topping off its fresh profile is a screw cap closure (also ever-present in Aussieland) that maintains its dazzling crispness and vibrancy. It’s not cheap at around $45 a bottle, but its exotic spice, pear, apple, orange peel, crisp minerality and long finish more than deliver on value. E SMITH
WI Taste: 93 Points
WI Value: 90 Points