by Fred McMillin
for January 2000

A Toast to Your Health

Prologue

Centuries before the medical profession agreed, German winemakers recognized the benefits of moderate wine consumption in their adage: "There are a lot more old wine drinkers than there are old doctors!"

The Rest of the Story

Those vintners were talking about Germany's favorite white wine grape, the Riesling. Recently, I was discussing America's favorite white wine grape, the Chardonnay, with my physician, Dr. John Long. It's a favorite of his, too, so we went over some of my picky panel's preferences. Here they are.

Our Best Chardonnays (that are ready to drink right now) $10 Maximum   4th - Daniel Lawrence, California, '96, $10 3rd - Beringer's Founders' Estate, California, '98, $10 2nd - Farallon, Central Coast, '98, $10 1st - Chateau Julien, Monterey County, '97, $9 $15 Maximum   4th - Hahn, Monterey County, '97, $11 3rd - EOS, Paso Robles, '97, $14 2nd - Sebastiani, Sonoma County, '97, $13 1st - Charles Mitchell, El Dorado, '97, $12 $20 Maximum   4th - La Crema, Sonoma Coast, '97, $19 3rd - Pouilly-Fuissé, Vincent (Wildman), Burgundy, '97, $19 2nd - Atlas Peak, Napa Valley, '97, $16 1st - Gundlach-Bundschu, Sonoma Valley, '97, $18 (pictured)       Bundschu Gundlach $25 Maximum   3rd - Chateau St. Jean, Alexander Valley, '96, $24 2nd - Beaulieu Reserve, Carneros, '97, $25 1st - Chablis, Regnard, Burgundy, '96, $24 $30 Maximum   4th - Grgich Hills, Nape Valley, '97, $30 3rd - Rosenblum, Lone Oak, Russian Rvr. Vly., '97, $28 2nd - ZD, California, '97, $26 1st - Guenoc, G. Magoon Reserve, Guenoc Valley, '96, $30 Unlimited   3rd - Matanzas Creek, Sonoma Valley, '97, $31 2nd - Chalone Vineyard, Monterey County, '97, $31 1st - Chateau St. Jean, Reserve Magnum, Alexander V., '94, $57

Postscript

During its first century in California, Chardonnay was hardly a smashing success. By 1971 there still were but 3,000 acres. Then, vintners began moving it to cooler microclimates, and voila! Twenty years later there were over 56,000 acres.

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This page created January 2000

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