Picket Fence is a winery now on the radar of many Trader Joe’s wine drinkers because of the Pinot Noir they produce.  The Pinot received the #1 pick over at Jason’s Wine Blog followed by a lengthy discussion in the comments section.  Jeff over at Viva La Wino also enjoyed this wine and gave it an A.  I thought this was a nice wine and recommend it often.  Personally, this is not my first choice of Pinot found at TJ’s, I found this wine too high in alcohol and oak; but this wine would pair excellent with a meat or red pasta sauce dinner.  So I wondered, how’s their Chardonnay?

The Wine: And at $9 per cork, that’s a fair price, as opposed to the $20 price tag listed on Picket Fence‘s website.  *Picket Fence has since closed it’s e-commerce store from when I first checked several months ago.*  I’ve noticed this wine isn’t exactly clearing the shelf at TJ’s; maaaybe a case per week?  A Russian River Chardonnay with a rather attractive label is one that could potentially be flying off the shelf.  Picket Fence’s website says :”Bright Meyer lemon notes and crisp apple with hints of succulent stone fruit mingle with the toasted oak components of caramelized brown spices, resulting in a rich, sensuous wine that coats the mouth with a long, silky finish”.  So what’s going on inside the bottle?

The Experience: You’re going to find a straw golden yellow color with a lot of oak and alcohol welcoming you on the nose.  Before even tasting I had a feeling this was going to be an overly oak barrel driven chardonnay and indeed it was.  The flavor profiles which showed themselves were first heat/spice from alcohol, oak then some apple and pineapple components.  The alcohol is not very refreshing in the mouth and leaves the finish disjointed; 50% of the barrels were new French Oak with a medium toast, which really puts into context why there is too much oak and vanilla in this wine.

The Bottom Line:  Next-Wine-Please

If I paid the original listed price of $20, I would be struggling to justify why that purchase was worth it.  Even at $9 per cork, I’m left feeling I’m not getting great value out of this wine.  I’m pretty sure I didn’t finish that bottle.

Question: What flavor component(s) do you like best in Chardonnay?

Wine Dork Info:

  • Appellation: Russian River Valley
  • Wine Maker: Don Van Staaveren
  • Released: October 2009
  • Alcohol: 14.5%
  • pH: 3.42
  • TA: 0.43 g/L
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