Of course, it isn't quite as easy to find as the yellow-labeled version, but it's certainly worth going out of your way for, especially when you consider that it isn't much more expensive than its omnipresent sibling.

The nose is mostly vanilla and oak that turn to butterscotch as the wine warms up. And speaking of warm, it also has enough alcohol to get you as toasted as the oak this white was aged in.

Fruit, which is barely there on the nose, is ripe and juicy on the palate. Pear and citrus both stand out, along with lots of acidity that nicely balances out a surprisingly rich mouthfeel (as the wine reaches room temperature).

The finish is a little short, but it's certainly not bad. It has enough wood to build a house, and enough alcohol to host the housewarming party. And considering this is a WoW Party Wine, I think that's rather appropriate.

Cheers,
TSW

* - WoW's Party Wine designation is given to those wines 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 would love to recommend more Clos du Bois wines, since they can be found pretty much anywhere wine is sold (and even some places where it isn't). The problem is, most of those ubiquitous bottles aren't worthy of an enthusiastic write-up. After all, if Wilder on Wine (WoW) is "…really excited about wine," I can't post a bunch of ho-hum reviews just because the wine wins the availability award.

True, the Briarcrest and Marlstone Clos du Bois reds can and do rock my world (though year-to-year can vary), but those are well into the Splurge Wine pricing category.

But here's a Clos du Bois chardonnay that I can jump up and down about.