When youā€™re always looking for the next big thing, the 
new hip wine, itā€™s easy to forget your old friends. Itā€™s probably been several years since Iā€™ve tasted Chateau Ste. Michelleā€™s Chardonnay
from the Columbia Valley of Washington state. I typically pass by it in
the stores, because it is everywhere and Iā€™m looking for something
surprising.
Well, this 2007 release of an old standby surprised
me with its balance, depth and quality, and left me chastened with the
thought that I should never take familiar labels for granted.
The
wine shows appealing herbal aromas ā€“ rosemary? sage? ā€“ that are
somewhat unexpected for a chardonnay, especially an inexpensive one.
Itā€™s soft texture in the mouth yields to lemon cream and apple fruit,
tinged with aromatic wood spice. This wine is a great value.
