TN: '97 Maryland Chardonnay

[Van The Man]

1997 Elk Run Chardonnay; Maryland (MD) - $11.99

One of the great benefits of my job is that I get to see and enjoy most of the
eastern seaboard. And I get the chance to meet and see many friends and family.
I had the opportunity to see some friends who built a beautiful new home on the
Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. Their new home is on an island and while visiting,
we had the opportunity to stop into a local wine shop. I picked this bottle up,
with conservative expectations and was pleasantly surprised…..

Lemon-yellow, maybe a bit pale in color. Nice, ripe nose of apple, pear, some
cream and a touch of citrus. On the palate, lighter in style than a California
but the wine has ripe fruit and enough of it to work well with most shellfish
and lighter seafood dishes. Finished nicely with a pleasant and relatively long
aftertaste of cream and vanilla. At this price point, this wine is an attractive
alternative and one I would buy again. The web site, www.elkrun.com says the
grapes are sourced from Maryland and Virginia. And for what it's worth, this
wine would work better with local food than almost any California Chardonnay.