The Wine Fairy

I don’t host a lot of wine-drinking friends at the moment–and while there are downsides to that, there are upsides, too.

One of the best parts is that I can buy wine that I like. Rather than stocking the fridge with crowd-pleasing bottles that won’t offend anyone’s palate, I get to indulge a penchant for sensation and novelty.

At the wine store, I scan the bottom shelves and the shadowed corners. Perfumed whites, spicy and boozy reds, oddball rosés and other outliers tempt me more than the classics.

Sure, some of those wines end up being misses. But I will find something to love in most of them, and I won’t have to apologize to anyone for taking a risk.

Which brings me to the topic of Sonoma County Chardonnay. Could there be a better avatar of a “safe” wine than this?

Even as Chardonnay struggles to climb out of its current trough of uncool-ness, mass-market Sonoma Chards, with their appealing fruit flavors and famous balance, seem incapable of annoying anyone. They’re popular with critics and supermarket shoppers alike. There are even some inexpensive, cross-regional blends that are startlingly complex, layering all of Chardonnay’s best assets into a single agreeable bottle.

That broad generosity of flavor was what I had hoped for–but didn’t quite find–in this lackluster offering from Total Wine.

My wife brought home this bottle to quiz me on blind tasting. Maison Sonoma is frustratingly nondescript. I successfully identified it as moderate-climate Chardonnay only by ruling out every single other possibility.

This wine is subdued and neutral on the nose. I tried hard to smell anything at all in the glass. Eventually, though, it exudes some stone fruit and blossoms. Medium body, medium-minus acidity, medium yellow color. Quite dry with ripe peach and sweet orange flavors with light oak and cream. The best thing about this Chard was a pleasant finish with a touch of marzipan. The alcohol is stealthy (over 14%)–but still not enough to make the mid-palate taste like anything other than peach water.

Me: There’s nothing wrong with this, I guess. I just prefer a wine that says something.

Wife: This wine does say something! It says, “I had some grapes and I made them into wine.”

Me: Smartass. Shall I pour you a glass?

Wife: No.

As a pre-dinner drink, I struggled to enjoy this middle-of-the-road, feebly structured Chard. But happily, the least expressive wines sometimes turn out to be the most food-friendly.

Maison Sonoma Chardonnay did find redemption the next day, as a brunch wine. Spicy migas with jalapeños and black-pepper bacon lifted it out of its torpor and threw its fuzzy fruit character into focus.

This is a wine that won’t get in the way of even the blandest breakfast fare. For folks who aren’t into fizz, its peach and orange flavors could make it a less-sweet, higher-octane alternative to Prosecco-topped bellinis and mimosas.

Bottle: Maison Sonoma Chardonnay (2023)

Variety: Chardonnay

ABV: 14.1%

Suggested retail: $18.99

My rating: 6.1 (out of 10)

Review disclosure: I was not compensated or provided any free products for this review. Opinions expressed on The Wine Fairy blog are entirely my own.