Hess Select Chardonnay 2004
April 13, 2006 – 12:55 pm
A couple of months ago, Ariele and I found the 2004 vintage of the Hess Select Chardonnay at World Market for $7.99 per bottle. Ariele’s parents are both fans of this particular Chardonnay, and under their instruction (and with their money), we bought a case for them.
Ariele’s dad came to visit this past weekend, so we opened a bottle on Friday night and a bottle on Saturday afternoon. About two thirds of the second bottle remained after he left, so I finished it off with dinner the past couple of nights.
The Hess Select has a very light, pale yellow translucent coloring. It has a nose of pear and unidentified citrus and a very subtle acidic bite right after the swallow. It also has a subtle mouthfeel with a quick finish. I found the Hess Select to be slightly sweet but still too sweet to describe it as “off dry”. But I haven’t had enough Chardonnays (or whites in general) to be very firm in these conclusions.
Overall, I would definitely recommend the Hess Select Chardonnay, and I will certainly drink it again. It so far has gone great with a couple of seafood dishes (shark and swordfish on Tuesday night and salmon last night), and I can’t see it interfering with many foods in general. Especially at $10 or less per bottle, I give it a thumbs up.