Etude 2012 Carneros Chardonnay

My local Costco started their summer wine sale on June 8 and it will last 4 weeks. One of the wines in the sale that caught my eye is the Etude Carneros Chardonnay. We were exposed to Etude several years ago at the Epcot Food and Wine Festival and we remembered the quality wines. This estate grown Chardonnay is regularly $20.99 at Costco but in this sale it is reduced $7 to $13.99. Since this is a greater sale reduction than normal for Costco, I decided to research the pricing online. I found that Etude sells this direct from the winery for $32. Online sites sell the wine from $18 to $32. Therefore, buying the wine for $14 is a great buy.

The wine, which has an alcohol content of 14.3%, has a beautiful golden color with a nose of apple and honey. The wine is soft yet crisp with some minerality, neutral oak and tropical fruit. Everything is in balance and the finish lasts at least 2 minutes. This is a wine that reflects the cool breezes from Carneros nights.

I think this is a chardonnay that exceeds anything else you can buy for less than $15.

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