Surfrider Edna Valley Chardonnay 2007

I made a Saturday jaunt recently to the Rosenthal Estate Wines tasting room, on PCH in Malibu.  It was one of those sunny, 75 degree winter days Southern California is known for.  It was a perfect day for a trip into Malibu's 26 miles of beachfront property.

The tasting room seems casual enough, with seating outside and a small bar indoors.  The room has a rustic and funky appearance that I really like in a tasting room.  I remember tasting Rosenthal wines as well as their Surfrider line.  That's about all I can tell you, as the notes I took never made it out of my pocket.  They did make it into the washing machine, where they were rendered unrecognizable as paper.  I am able to tell you that I liked everything I tasted that day, and that a bottle of the Surfrider Chardonnay came home with me.

It's a pale straw-colored wine.  The nose features a fragrant show of mainly tropical fruit and flowers.  The palate is not belabored by wood, although it is 30% barrel-fermented, with five months in oak.  In fact, it feels quite clean and crisp in the mouth. The fruit comes from Edna Valley, not Rosenthal's Malibu estate, which may explain some of the minerality.  I even noticed a slight effervecsence on the second day which I didn't see in the previous night's glass.  I'm a big fan of Chardonnay with a hint of oak, but I also love a refreshingly unoaked variety.  Surfrider falls somewhere in between.  I'm glad I could hang five - fingers, that is - on a Surfrider Chardonnay.

The Surfrider wines support the Surfrider Foundation, a non-profit environmental outfit concerned with preserving our oceans and the beaches upon which they lap.  A donation is made for each bottle sold.

Professional surfer Strider Wasilewski is featured - in a wave-leaping action shot - on the label, if that makes a difference to you.

Winemaker:  Rosenthal

Variety:  Chardonnay

Appellation:  California > Central Coast > Edna Valley

Vintage:  2007

Alcohol Level:  14.1% abv

Price:  $21

Acquisition disclaimer:  Purchased by the author

Tasting Notes: Chamisal Vineyards Stainless Chardonnay 2008

The Bottle: A slim Burgundy bottle belies the wine inside. No big, fat, overblown Chardonnay bottle here. This lean, unoaked wine gets a container that's lean, too. Chamisal Vineyards - formerly Domaine Alfred - is in California's Central Coast appellation, near San Luis Obispo and Edna Valley, home to some very fine white wines. The abv on the label states 14.1%. I'm ready for the pure taste of Chardonnay.

The Nose: Pure fruit, no oak at all. This is a really beautiful smelling wine. Apples seem to dominate for me, but there's a tropical or citrus angle at play, too. The aromas are quite vibrant, giving me the impression the taste will be amazingly fruity.

The Taste: Apples, then peaches, then a zippy, zesty flavor on the finish give my taste buds an E-ticket ride. The acidity is quite nice; not overwhelming, but definitely able to handle some swordfish or cod. The finish is rather lengthy, and the clean, crisp minerals linger after the fruit has finally faded.

Tangent Paragon Vineyard Riesling 2007

The Bottle: For me, no trip to Edna Valley is complete without a stop at what may well be my favorite winery anywhere. Tangent's "alternative whites" are a big attraction to me. This one is no exception. This wine cost $20 at the winery, a price I was happy to pay. But I'll get to that later. The abv is 14.1%. The back label offers a bit of exposition about the grape; the best-known varietal from Germany and the most prestigious from the Alsace region of France. They promise that the Edna Valley version will offer vibrant minerality and flavors of melon and peach. The wine is unoaked and did not go through malo-lactic fermentation.

The Nose: The minerals come through quite strongly in the aroma, like rain-wet gravel. Minerality is what Edna Valley wines are all about, and nowhere more than at Tangent. I get some white peach notes and a restrained citrus aspect, too.

The Taste: The acidity grabs me right away. This is a great food wine. Dry and succulent at the same time, here are the peach and melon flavors they advertised. The finish is quite lengthy and there's a very enjoyable aftertaste. I tried this with with a tofu ceviche, California roll, spinach and ricotta calzone and some brie and hummus - a real multinational dinner - and it was an unqualified winner with all.