It is with great excitement that we present to you today’s Etude 2012 Carneros Chardonnay. This wonderful wine is a real 91 point gem.

Lightweight and butter-smooth on entry and then fast across the palate, this approachable, flexible and easy-drinking wine is a terrific autumn refresher.

We enjoyed our sample bottles with food and without. We tried the wine fresh out of the chiller - and then slightly warmed. Icy cold, the wine is ultra refreshing. Slightly warmed, added aromas and flavors take flight.

Soft and delicate on the nose, with aromas of sweet citrus, orange blossom, acacia flower, ripe white peach, dried apricot, butterscotch and golden delicious apple.

Soft and elegant on the palate, with delicious flavors of mixed sweet citrus, lemon leaf, lemon zest, butterscotch, young yellow peach, fresh apricot, river rock, green apple and subtle white spice.

For a more elegant experience, allow the wine to warm up just a bit. As it warms, it softens, giving the wine a more round and more full overall mouthfeel.

Some of our favorite California Chardonnay comes from the Carneros viticultural area, a wine growing region which straddles the Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley. The Carneros region ranks as one of the Wine Spies’ top choices for California Chardonnay.

So, too, does Etude Wines.

The cool Carneros region provides ideal growing conditions for the Burgundian varietals of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, both of which thrive here.

This delicious, highly recommended Chardonnay won’t last the day. Reserve yours now.

~

Here’s what the wine press has to say:

91 points - Tasting Panel Magazine - “Smooth and fresh with elegance and finesse; lush and ripe with vanilla, sweet oak and lovely structure; balanced, lush and long.”

~

Robert Parker Jr, Wine Advocate - “The 2012 Chardonnay Estate was aged in neutral oak. It is fresh and lively with delicate pineapple, pear and other tropical fruit notes, crisp acids, and a medium-bodied mouthfeel. Drink now-2018.”