Ferrari-Carano Reserve Napa Chardonnay 2012
One of my absolute favorite California Chardonnay’s is the Ferrari-Carano offering from Sonoma County. Today I will comment on their Napa Reserve 2012 vintage. The Ferrari-Carano Winery was founded in 1981 by Don and Rhonda Carano and is located in Sonoma County’s Dry Creek Valley. If you enjoy pairing food with wine, be sure to visit the Ferrari-Carano website where Rhonda has a number of recipes. So if you are adventurous and have a passion for good food and wine, then try some of her recipes.
I opened the 2012 Napa Reserve Chardonnay and observed a clear golden yellow color. The 2012 Napa Reserve Chardonnay is from vineyards in Napa-Carneros. The wine had nice aromas of ripe stone fruits and sweet spicy notes. The palate showed complex flavors, apple, pear and fig with buttery toasty oak overtones and savory traces of nuts and cinnamon. The wine was aged in French oak, about 33% in each of 1 year, 2 year and 3 year old barrels. Their wine from Napa’s cool climate showed more finesse than their counterpart from Alexander Valley. To me the wine was great to drink, but a little overdone with the malolactic fermentation making the wine too creamy and a bit out of balance with the oak. Worth a try if you like a really big, bold, oaky and buttery Chardonnay.
Cheers!