2008 Hess Chardonnay

A year ago, I wrote about a visit to one of our favorite Thai restaurants with friends, and the
  
teriffic bottle of  Hess Chardonnay we enjoyed with our meal. We ordered two seafood dishes and 
  
the House Pad Thai, plus appetizers. It turned out that the food was fabulous, and so was the Hess 
  
Chardonnay, which I had not had in several years.  What a pleasant surprise! The wine was perfect 
  
with our dinner, despite a variety of tastes in the different dishes, from peanut sauce to creamy curry 
  
sauce on the seafood. 
  
 
  
I, of course, was anxious to try the 2008 Hess Monterey Chardonnay when it arrived in the Atlanta
  
market place recently.  The Hess Vineyards, located in the Monterey area, benefit from the warm days 
  
and cool nights provided by the Pacific Ocean breezes, which blow inland in the evening.  This Hess 
  
Chardonnay is well structured with a good balance between the fruit and the acidity.  The alcohol is also
  
well balanced at 13.4%.  The initial aroma was full of flowers, which suggested honeysuckle, and maybe 
  
even melon.  The taste was pineapple and tropical fruit, with just the slightest hint of the honey aroma. 
  
The flavors of citrus and green apple were evident in the finish, which flowed along with a clean crispness 
  
and mild toasty oak at the end.
  
 
  
We enjoyed this with a dinner of chicken tenders rolled in Panko and served with honey mustard sauce. 
  
The Hess was a wonderful pairing for this meal.  I loved this new vintage and would rate it as better than 
  
the previous one, and score it a 91.    
    Score - 91    
  Price Range - $11 - $14
  

Norm