Estancia Unoaked Chardonnay

Estancia Unoaked Chardonnay

Chardonnay (Unoaked)

Monterey County

USA

2013

$9.99

Critical Acclaim from Wine.Com: "Unfettered by oak, the 2013 Estancia Chardonnay Unoaked dazzles with aromas of pear, orange blossom and fresh citrus flavors with lean, crisp acidity and fruit on the palate."

After tasting both types, I think I like the unoaked version of Chardonnays better than the original oaked style. The unoaked type exposes the fruit flavors more than the wooden, oaky flavors. In my opinion, this makes the wine more drinkable (is that proper english...?). I thought this wine had a granny smith apple/pear flavor to it, which I enjoyed, but in the aftertaste it had a bit of a bite to it. The bitter aftertaste kind of ruined it for me, but otherwise it's a solid chardonnay. I didn't have it with food, but with that strong of an aftertaste, I'm not sure if I'd want to.