Maker: Trapiche, Mendoza, Argentina
Importer: Wildman
Grape: Chardonnay
Region: Mendoza, Argentina
Vintage: 2009
ABV: 13.5%
Appearance: Bright gold. A very pretty wine.
Nose: Woody and creamy, a little bitter.
On the palate: Slightly sweet with a big hit of oak and brown (possibly burnt) butter. The wood is over the top and completely overwhelms whatever sweet or delicate flavors this wine may have. Its price would indicate that this is intended to be a table-quality varietal. There is so much wood here that it clashes with food and produces nasty bitter flavors, even with chicken soup.
Finish: Bitter and astringent. Even worse with food. Very unpleasant.
Parting words: My expectations for this wine were simple. I wanted a chard with a bit of wood and sweetness that would pair well with chicken. I figured Trapiche is a reputable producer, Mendoza is a fine region, Chard should be easy for them to grow there, and the time it spent in the bottle should have smoothed any rough edges it may have had, so this should satisfy my simple needs. I was wrong. This is a terrible wine, one that I wouldn’t even give to a carrion-eating scavenger like the Andean condor on the label. Trapiche Oak Cask Chardonnay is highly not recommended.
Sipology 