Columbia Crest is well known for making solid wine at great prices and the 2008 Grand Estates Chardonnay is just that.  My three favorite regions for Chardonnay are Washington, Monterey and Santa Barbara County because their relatively cool climates produce a focused fruity wine.  The great thing about Columbia Crest is their consistency: they produce great wines year in and year out.  We had been drinking this wine as our “house” Chardonnay sine the 2006 vintage and and we finally ran out of the ’07, so we decided to try the ’08.

Much like the ’07 this has a nice mineral nose with the classic apple scents.  It tastes rich but focused and finishes with a lingering clean aftertaste.  This is very well balanced with a nice buttery mouthfeel but it’s not as though they pumped liquid oak into it like some “value priced” Chardonnay.  In a word: textbook.  Tonight I made a Thai mango chicken salad and this paired perfectly, picking up the mango and cutting through with a nice acidity.

Columbia Crest produces 200,000 cases of this particular wine.  That is more than most wineries’ entire production.  But, as I’ve mentioned before, sometimes the big guys are big for a reason.  This is one member of a strong Columbia Crest lineup that includes their H3 and Reserve wines, many of which have scored 90+ points from the critics.

The Grand Estates Chardonnay is widely available in the $10-13 range but LA Wine Co has it for $7.99.  At that price, buy it by the case!

Wine Spectator 89 points

“Polished, round and spicy, this is generous with its creamy pear and caramel flavors, lingering on the nutmeg-tinged finish. Drink now through 2014. 200,000 cases made.”

2008 Columbia Crest Grand Estates Chardonnay- LA Wine Co $7.99

I definitely drink more red wine than white.  But, I like to keep a bottle of white open either to start the evening or to drink with fish or chicken.  The great thing about white wines is you can readily find great values, under $10.

Chateau Ste. Michelle, in Columbia Valley,  is the second largest winery in Washington with production in the hundreds of thousands of cases.  It’s fun to find great wine deals from small production wineries, but some smaller wineries lack consistency- great wine one year but when you try the next year, something is missing.  I’ve found that a lot of the big guys are big for a reason.  Beringer and Robert Mondavi in Napa and Chateau Ste. Michelle and Columbia Crest in Washington come to mind as huge wineries that consistently produce great wines and great values.

The 2008 Chateau Ste. Michelle Chardonnay is bright and aromatic on the nose with a nice floral scent and a hint of vanilla.  This is a buttery but smooth Chardonnay that has lightly integrated oak without being over the top like some Chardonnay.  Washington, along with Santa Barbara County and Monterey, make some of my favorite Chardonnay because of their cooler climates.  If you are shopping for Chardonnay, check out those areas first.

LA Wine Company has the lowest price in the country at $7.99.

Wine Spectator- 90 Points

Bright and jazzy, with pretty pineapple, grapefruit, elderflower and spice flavors that lingers on the finish without excess weight. This just floats on for a while. Drink now through 2012.

Chateau Ste. Michelle Chardonnay 2008- LA Wine Co. $7.99,