First time back in a little bit, so I figured there’s no better spot to pick up from than where we left off: more full-bodied white wines from all over the world. This time, we’ve got a grocery-store darling - a limited release Joel Gott bottle with mixed-barrel aging! I’d been putting off reviewing this one, but took it as a sign to finally try it when I bought the last bottle off the shelf at my grocery store.

Firstly, this number is VERY reflective - almost shimmering from how oily and glossy the surface looks. It’s brighter than I would have expected, but it’s still believably a chard. Coats a dense, translucent layer immediately after swirling, with thick legs that appear sporadically and randomly across the glass as that layer breaks down. It’s kind of reminiscent of an illustration of ice cream melting over the edge of a cone.

On the nose, it’s very subdued and shy - none of the aromas tried to jump out at me at first whiff. There’s a touch of nectarine at the start, a brief interlude of oak in the middle, and a tropical fruit flair at the end - especially pineapple candy. It’s demure, grown-up, and nonchalant. I didn’t know what to really expect next.

On the palate, the stone fruit-like scent morphs into a green apple taste - also rather candy-like with the well-balanced acidity. Has some staying power at the back of the sip, fading away into oak and a wisp of vanilla to close. It has a lighter body and mouthfeel than what I was expecting, but not in a way that feels like anything critical is missing or diluted. All of that reserved, quiet, muted detail on the nose was alluding to something here - a chard that shows off the technique put into it by disguising its heaviness.

This has honestly left me a little torn. On one hand, this bottle is remarkably balanced - it’s not trying too hard to be overly dry or oaky but also lacks the overtly saccharine, loud expressions I associate with Cali chards. On the other hand, it feels merely like a textbook bottle of Chardonnay. It’s very honed in and bespoke, sure - but it’s also weirdly and uncannily boring because it feels almost... too polished? It's trying so hard to get the fundamentals right that it lacks a discernible signature. Of course, this is a great bottle of wine and all, but it’s not the kind of bottle that got me into wine. I typically try to add more than a stereotype to depict a vinter, but Joel Gott is what most people seem to say it is - a good-quality, widely available wine that shows a sense of craftsmanship, and yet also struggles to take the kind of risks that would make it more memorable.

On the bright side, I can hardly imagine offending even my pickiest friends with a glass of this. That’s worth something, even if the price-tag is debatable.

89/100 - B+

$17.99

GRAPES: 100% Chardonnay

NOSE: nectarine, oak, pineapple, sour candy

PALATE: green apple, pear, oak, vanilla