NOCO North Coast Chardonnay - 6 Pack
$54.99 + $5 shipping
CONDITION: White
PRODUCT: 6 NOCO 2009 North Coast Chardonnay
CT link above
But but but… how do I decide whether to buy without a CellarTracker link?
What’s the Pope hat mean? 
intriguing! I am most probably going to get one tomorrow when i wake up! 
[labrat]
Lab Rat Report: 2009Noco Chardonnay
Long time woot.wine buyer, first time Rat.
After work, and a two and a half hour wait at the doctor’s office, I can’t wait to get this baby open. Screw the top off (I have no problem with screw-tops), so she’s easy to open and after pouring I notice she has nice legs, and an “interesting” nose. There she is at room temp (68 degrees), off-dry, similar to muscato. Smells like a heavily oaken chard, with hints of crabapple blossom. I sense dried apricot, as well. Bit of acidity and smokiness on the finish. I’m a sauvignon blanc type of guy, so this is different, interesting. I’m beginning to think that she has a nice personality.
After 15 min open, more oak-like than sweet, or is it just because it has a really (and I mean REALLY) buttery mouth-feel to it? Can’t believe this is a stainless steel chard. Still better than an oaked chard (I don’t like oak). Still a bit of acidity on finish (I like my acid).
Cooled to about 50 to 55 degrees. My wife (non-white wine drinker) notices that it smells like it will have an acidic bite, but the taste is almost pure butter. This wine is growing on me a little.
It was kid’s baseball night, so dinner was scattered, which gave me an opportunity to test various combinations. Goes well with re-heated cheese pizza. Not good with re-heated sausage pizza. Great with nachos w/ processed nacho cheese. Not good with processed-frozen pasta entrees. It does not pair well with extra-sharp cheddar cheese. Good with sausage pizza rolls (folks, we usually feed our kids better than this). This wine is somewhat strange to have on its own, without a supporting cast. Need a sharper food to cut the butter. Have I mentioned the word “butter?”
Warmed in the glass back to room temp, turns muscat again, and loses nuances, but that’s what white wine usually does. I’d also think it’d be ok in a temp cellar for a year or two. If someone were to build one for me and send me more wine, I can confirm my gut feeling. Feel free to PM me to volunteer.
Would be good for summer lunchtime picnic. maybe some gouda, or swiss, or brie and green apple. Maybe a cold roast beef sandwich with a horseradish sauce. Maybe as a syrup for a fruit-salad-with-kick and with a drizzle of basalmic?
As for the wine.woot writeup
Pear, kinda. No lemon zest I found. Custard, Yep. Whatever’s on the table-- Yep.
This is a decent wine, and I’d think it would be perfect for the wine in Alton Brown’s roasted tomato sauce (can I get a few extra bottles, for free?). As a final note, I’d love to rat a red, so my wife can get more involved ;>
EDIT/UPDATE: As part of my Good Friday fast, I only partook of a small glass of wine for lunch. I like it better very cold and open for 12 hours.
Fermented in stainless with native yeasts… this sounds like it is made similarly to the Lioco Chardonnays, and they are EXCELLENT in all caps. What about the malolactic fermentation… Are the native yeasts and bacteria there conducive to avoiding the dreaded butter bomb effect?
Guess I missed that part while skimming
I’ll have to have another look at this tomorrow morning. So tempted, but a few more rats will likely tip me over the edge.
i’m with the others. I haven’t bought in a while but I might just have to jump on this. I’ll wait to see if there are a few more rats or maybe some winery involvement. The first makes it seem to be something worth trying.
Conceptually interesting, would love a sample before taking the plunge on a 6 pack.
I wonder how it compares to Scott Harvey’s Gazzi Chard, it had a more European profile, not the oak/butter bomb so common in Napa these days (which is great if you like that).
I almost auto-purchased when I saw it was all stainless. I’ve mentioned before I love stainless chards because all I get out of it is pure fruit - and if I’m lucky the acid is balanced well.
With the first ratter I’m insta-turned off though. Anything described so clearly as buttery is not on my list of “to-buy”.
I’m interested to hear if these went through full MLF. Also were these done in large stainless vat’s or small stainless “barrels”
Excuse me if my terminology isn’t on-point. I admit I know little about the winemaking process but I’m trying to learn.
OK, in for one…did someone say butter?
Portal 2 Labrat
I woke up in unfamiliar surroundings. How long had I been asleep? I noticed a box at my door. I opened it. A bottle of wine? Had I ordered it before going to bed? Did it arrive through some kind of dimensional shift? Does Aperture Science make wine? A voice said please chill the bottle for a few hours and go back to sleep. Not knowing what else to do, I followed the instructions.
Upon waking, the whole place seemed like it was falling apart. A voice spoke again saying all this was because of me–is that you GLaDOS? Then it said testing would begin.
Test 1–In viewing the label, I noticed this was a 2009 California Chardonnay (North Coast–hence the name NoCo). The back of the label clearly stated this was “grown wine” not “bulk wine” and that it was fermented with wild yeasts in 100% stainless steel tanks. NO OAK. That will be interesting, as my past experience with un-oaked Chards has been mixed.
Test 2–Opening the bottle was a simple task. Just a slight twist at the top and it was ready to pour. So far, these tests are easy–is the real challenge yet to come?
Test 3–In the glass, the wine had a very clear, pale straw appearance. Not nearly as golden as most Chardonnays I’m used to.
Test 4–OK, now things are getting more challenging. The nose is pretty vibrant. I’m noticing mostly floral components with some peaches. I like the nose and excitement starts to build for tasting it.
Test 5–Immediately, I’m surprised with a pretty bitter beginning. There is very little acid to speak of. The floral components come through again along with red apples (sweet, not tart). The mouth feel is very light. The finish is medium-length, but is probably the best part about this. No alcohol coming through and hints of blueberry at the end. Is that blueberry pie? It must be–the cake is a lie.
Test 6–Yet to be completed. Under Vacu Vin for the night, I’ll try again tomorrow with some fish.
Update Test 6–Tasted with some semi-spicy salmon tonight. Went well, but didn’t really change my overall perspective. I don’t think I’ve ever spent this much energy thinking about a $10 bottle of wine.
My overall impression is that this is interesting and definitely worth trying. While I don’t like much oak in my reds, I do like it in Chardonnay–so steel Chards don’t usually do it for me. I’m glad I was able to have a bottle and it would make a great summer wine. However, it fails the buy test for me, but did I pass (I’m still alive)?
[labrat]
Hi all! Long time lurker, first time lab rat and poster. Before I get started, a giant thanks to all the wine.woot members who have helped to make my wine buying experiences more educational!
I’m far from a sophisticated taster, but here’s my best shot at the NOCO Chardonnay. I lean toward the reds, and wines that are relatively fruit forward. As I write this, I’m enjoying some Ty’s Red from its last Woot, and it’s outstanding. I tasted this Chardonnay with my girlfriend, who typically enjoys fruity wines with minimal tannins.
I picked up the wine from FedEx, tossed it in the fridge for a couple hours, and opened it not long before dinner.
The Bottle
Me: It looks a lot like wine should go in it. When do we get another Albino Rhino label?
Her (Graphic Designer): Overall, the bottle gets an A-. It has a lovely contrast of bold colors and contour line art. Still, it seems a bit generic for a modern wine label/bottle.
Color
Light straw color, looks thin.
Aroma
Me: Apricot
Her: Fruity.
Pretty much what both of us would expect here.
Taste
Whoa! Not what we were expecting from the aroma.
Me: Sweet, butter, apple middle palate, with a short, grassy finish.
Her: Sweet, buttery, apple
With Food
At this point, dinner arrived (Go go gadget delivery Italian!) Pasta with cream sauce, ham, and mushrooms for her, fettucine alfredo with chicken for me. We also had a bit of sourdough bread with butter and some Parmesan cheese.
With the parm, both of us felt the salty cheese really balanced the sweetness of the wine. She also thought the bread and butter really accentuated the flavors that were present in the wine, and really brought everything out. I thought it tasted like butter.
Me: The fettuccine Alfredo really balanced the sweetness/butter out. I can really taste the grassy notes more.
Her: The ham really seems to be making this taste sweeter.
I tried some of her dish with the wine, and felt the same way. Both of us felt the wine became a little cloying with food, and we both enjoyed it more without dinner. We also both thought that my fettuccine and chicken went MUCH better with the wine, as it didn’t seem to make the sweetness/butter quite so prevalent.
Overall, we both thought this wine would be good for sipping on the patio occasionally. It seems to stand alone better than being paired with a meal. A decent change of pace, especially on a hot summer day, but not an everyday drinker. I’m not a buttery Chard fan, but if you are, probably a good get.
Thanks, WD! Everyone, please let me know if you’ve got any additional questions, as I’d be happy to answer them.
The main-page description says fermented in stainless and no oak chips added, but the first rat report says there’s a lot of oak. So what’s up, is this an un-oaked chard or not?
It’s un-oaked. The butter make it seems like it’s not, but you can tell it’s steel.
Question for the winery: what’s the drinking window on these? Another year or so I would guess?
Ok, I’m in for one!