Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Rutini Wines Trumpeter Chardonnay 2010


A gift of wine is always a good thing, right?  I was given a bottle by a very well-meaning individual who knows almost nothing about wine.  In fairness, it was a gift to her and she knows I like wine, so it was an “if you don’t want this, I’ll just throw it away” situation.  I figured I’d could write about it.  Maybe it would be good - I like Chardonnay from Argentina.

Rutini is headquartered in MaipĂș, a city in Mendoza.  Trumpeter is 100% Chardonnay from Tupungato in the Uco Valley.  The grapes grow at an altitude of 3,300 feet and are watered by melting snow in the Andes, which makes up for the rain shade created by the mountains.  The fruit is harvested by hand, and the wine is 30% barrel-fermented, with 30% malolactic fermentation for a bit of a fuller mouth.  The oak is only used for seven months, but half of it is new French oak.  The oak’s presence makes it seem like it spent longer in the barrel.  Trumpeter carries an alcohol level of 13.5% and sells for under $10 per bottle.

There’s a good deal of oak on the nose - not what I was hoping for, but not a surprise given the golden hue.  A wet straw component follows the oak.  It tastes of oak, too, with washed out tropical fruit and white peaches in the background.  The full mouthfeel and nice acidity is negated by the lackluster fruit, leaving a wine that’s fairly dull and wooden.  It does pair well with salad, olives and cheese, even though those are rather minimal tests of a white wine.


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