After the great debate (albeit internal), I settled on this California Chardonnay to pair with my Coconut Curry Chicken. This Chardonnay is from Monterey, California; the Vina Robles site (www.vinarobles.com) says, “We craft wines that represent a stylistic bridge between the Old and New worlds, capturing the finesse associated with European wines while celebrating the bold natural flavors of our estate vineyards in Paso Robles.” They do this by aging the Chardonnay in French oak barrels for 8 month, which is essentially why I chose it. I wanted to try a new age wine with a little old world tradition.

Now maybe I’m too easy on my wine, because I almost always consider my pairings a success. Or maybe the wine starts to write the review. Well, this one is no exception. The hint of oak, vanilla, and the tropical fruit flavors mingled nicely with the smooth coconut flavors in the chicken. As I mentioned in the recipe, my curry is smooth and subtle, so it did not overpower the wine.. The light char on the chicken (from broiling) also complemented the toast and mineral flavors in the wine. Survey says…SUCCESS!

A more formal review:

Appearance: Clear, deep lemon

Nose: Clean – Medium Intensity – Aromas of peach, pineapple, mango, mineral, and butter cream.

Palate: Dry – High Acidity – Full Body – Long Length – Flavors of peach, pineapple, butter cream, vanilla, toast