Changed dinner plans.........

[jock]

[img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/confused.gif[/img]
I absolutely agree that 98% of all California Chardonnay is either over-oaked, flabby or one-dimensional and 90% of it is all three. However, I think you are really short-changing yourself if you automatically eliminate all white wine as "sissy white".

The M. Trinchero is typical CA plonk. The only thing it has going for it is that it is cheap plonk. There is way too much very expensive plonk from California.

The best chardonnays come from France and there are a some from California and even one from Australia. If you can get your hands on a bottle of Giaconda from Australia it will blow you away. From California try to find Miura, Patz and Hall, Erich Russell, Schweiger and Paul Hobbs. They ain't cheap but they are great complex wines that actually compliment food.

A bottle of Giaconda or Miura with Lobster would be heaven as would any number fo white burgundies.