United States of Wine

Talon Winery — Chardonnay — Lexington, KY — N/V

Price: $22; https://www.talonwine.com/product/chardonnay/

Headed back into Bourbon Country to try some of their white wine, and a familial proximity to Lexington, Kentucky, (Big Blue Nation) gave us a chance to try Talon Winery’s non-vintage chardonnay. While the winery does grow different varieties of grapes, their chardonnay is sourced from other Kentucky vineyards.

A dinner of fried fish invited us to taste this chardonnay. Golden yellow in color, it was the traditional look of chardonnays found around the United States. The wine carried scents of sweet pears, and a soft hint of vanilla, like talc or marshmallows. I was happy it did not carry notes of butter, as that is one of my least favorite wine flavors.

The taste of this wine continues to be contested between my taster partner and myself. While the wine flavors pair very well with our food, with a small crisp bite that cleared away the grease from the fish, this chardonnay was not great without food.

Alone, this chardonnay had such an overwhelming tang that it overpowered nearly any other flavor, except a limey sour pear taste. The longer the bottle was open, the metal flavor came through on the tongue. My tasting partner didn’t mind the flavors of this wine, but I felt unenthusiastic about pouring another glass for myself.

Maybe I’m just not a chardonnay person, and there are some people who might really enjoy this Kentucky-made white wine with all of its flavors. But based on my taste, this would not be my first choice when offering someone a glass of chardonnay.

Score: 6.5/10