Beringer Chardonnay, Napa Valley 2004

Opening the bottle is about the same as opening that giant can of Libby's fruit cocktail they'd serve when you were back in elementary school: it smells like pears and cheap corn syrup... not that there's anything wrong with that, mind you. There's also a whiff of something like sulfur dioxide, and some sort of generic oak note (barrel fermentation?), but not a particularly strong one: it smells clean and nonoffensive, like it should be served in a Tokyo pâtisserie.

Medium-weight in the mouth, there's a not particularly appealing woodiness about it (low level TCA taint?), a slight sweetness, and very little interest. The finish is short and perfunctory.

Overall, this wine is probably best bought for the tasteful label - just not for the wine itself.

Beringer
Price: US $11.99
Closure: Cork
Date tasted: December 2007

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