The palate is very sweet (maybe just a touch too sweet), with plum, cherry and berry flavors. It isn't a huge wine, but it sure is flavorful and fun. With the tannins and acidity both low, it's almost as ready to drink as I am ready to get back out of cell phone range.

The finish is smoky, just like the campfire, with more of the cherry flavor coming back. (Hey, if cherry Kool-Aid colors your tongue for that long, it obviously has staying power.)

A dependable maker of affordable, quality chardonnay, this Wine of the Week shows that Estancia also makes a mean cab. Take some on your next camping trip, or to your next outdoor barbeque, or pool party… wherever it can be shared with friends outside. This is a crowd-pleasing party wine for sure!

Cheers,
TSW

* - WoW's party wine denotation is given to a bottle that you can bring to a party, and it'll make you look good -- but you won't be devastated if you end up not getting any.

I don't want to turn this into Wilder on Whine, but after a great, but all-too-brief camping trip last weekend, I wanted to return to city life about as much as that cute Country Mouse from the old Warner Bros. cartoon. I'm just glad I could come home to this cab from Estancia. It's a tasty way to remember and relive the trip.

The color of this red is dark, but not too dark -- just like the star- and moon-lit nights in Big Sur (just south of Monterey, CA, where Estancia grows some fine chardonnay).

The nose is like Big Sur incarnate. Eucalyptus and oak scents are huge. Sweet berries and cherries (we saw berries on a hike -- made cherry Kool-Aid to mask the bad flavor of the water purifier) are also there. Chocolate (from the smores) and coffee (what post tent-sleeping session would be complete without coffee?) came out with time.