NOCO North Coast Chardonnay - 6 Pack

Well done sir!

There was a great discussion about this topic from the Lioco Chard offer. The winery rep liocomatt did a great job explaining how different yeast and bacteria assisting the MLF will result in different flavor profiles. Apparently the Anderson Valley yeast/bacteria are very different than the Mendocino locals. MALO IS NOT EVIL

A huge fan of Lioco chards, I’ve been looking forward to another one of their offerings, esp after they were quoted in the Woot NYT article.

Was hoping for some of their high-end stuff, but this will do. :slight_smile:

Edit - just created this “second” account, as my main account is my full name. Looking forward to spending time finally discussing.

Seems like an appropriate selection today - in remembrance of Jess Jackson

I was all set to pull the trigger on this one until I read the comments. I love the crisp, fruity, unoaked style of chard, but the “buttery” comments are putting me off. Wish I could try a taste…

Jim

Same here – if buttery is just referring to the texture, I’ll still probably get one, but the rat reports so far make this seem like a strange chardonnay. I’ll wait for more reports over the weekend.

Hi,

I usually buy the wines here for my wife, I’m not much of a wine-guy, but I do partake in a glass here & there. What exactly do all the “butter/buttery” references mean?

And why do some(most?) seem to imply that butter/buttery is bad?

Thanks,

Hey all,

Thanks for your comments/questions. Alot about oak vs. malo…this wine has no oak, but goes through a full, NATURAL malo, which is to say we don’t hit it with a malo bactertia strain engineered in a lab to smell/taste like…butter for example. No, a natural malo is just the symbiotic conversion from malic acid (think green apples) to lactic acid (think cheese).

So why all the “butter”? Well, I get more custardy notes on the wine that true butter, but for the purpose of this conversation let’s just say that the wine comes by all of that honestly. It’s not toasty, its not oaky, but having undergone a full malo, it has a creamy richness to it–which to Kevin and I reads Chardonnay.

My rec: chill it down, walk it out to a patio, crack a top and enjoy. At $10, we weren’t trying to make a Corton Charlemagne–or a wine that forced tremendous contemplation, rather just a wine that was pleasurable and had some character.

Hope it delivers those things for you!

Matt Licklider
co-founder NOCO

Buttery (meaning it’s got a butter feel/taste) is not bad, I just don’t swing that way.

The mouth feel was very light and creamy, but there was definitely some butter flavor. I’m not usually a big Chardonnay fan, although I enjoyed the recent Hangtime and Gazzi offerings. This was a totally different animal from the other Chardonnays I’ve had - much sweeter and lighter, with big apple flavor that tapers off quickly.

yea, my wallet is safe for the weekend!!! I really don’t like Chards…

Matt,

It’s nice to see some winery input. How does this woot offering compare to your Lioco Sonoma County Chardonnay?

For some of us malolactic fermentation takes great chardonnay grape juice and makes it unfit to drink. There may be some food out there that is complimented by the resulting wine but I don’t eat it. It is interesting that the Cal Chards that receive international acclaim have no malolactic fermentation. In Chablis and Burgundy they know how to use Chardonnay grapes to their best advantage

My opinion would be that “buttery” is referring to the mouth feel, not a flavor. There just isn’t a ton of acid so it feels soft in the mouth. The predominant flavor is apple (apple sauce even) with some floral components. I didn’t get any of the usual buttery (oaked) Chard. See my full Labrat report above.

Wow, I’m getting more confused by each post. Some say it’s oaky (even thought it’s not barreled in oak) some say there’s no oak whatsover. Everyone agrees it’s “buttery” but some say there’s a very distinct butter flavor while other’s say it’s just a buttery texture with no butter flavor whatsoever.

I have no idea what to think about this one but my best guess is that it’s very inconsistent. For whatever reason, I’m still thinking about buying some just to see for myself, but I’ll wait til Sunday to decide.

Ok, I’m in for one! The Woot reds in the fridge will have to make friends for a while with the others.

We’ll help them get along.

I was wondering how this compared to the Scott Harvey’s Gazzi Chardonnay. I really enjoyed Scotts Chardonnay, it’s a nice departure from the oak/butter bombs so often released in The valley. The NOCO sounds like something entirely different than either The valley or Scotts Chardonnay. Hmmm…

Thanks for the feedback on this Matt. I was on the fence but your feedback really cleared things up. This Chard sounds like a unique and good value for $10 per bottle. In for 1!

Completely different. I loved the Gazzi Chardonnay.

Edit: Not that this was bad! Just not my thing. I can see people out there that would really like this wine.

I wished I drank wine. Tired of ordering for everyone else.