2019 Wood Family Vineyards Chardonnay and Shrimp Pad Thai
Saw a beautiful picture of shrimp Pad Thai that Janette Marie Klevan posted the other day and it caught my eye. That was the impetus for the meal last night. Decided to grab a bottle of 2019 Wood Family Vineyards from the cellar to accompany the meal.
On the eyes a deep golden color and medium heavy viscosity. On the nose green apple, toasted almonds and soft lemon fragrance. This wine, different from her iconic past vintages with “crackerjack flavors”, added a citrus note. The finish was long and with complex layers of intrigue. This Chardonnay has many of the familiar characteristics of previous years. The wine has lingering tropical fruits, with peach and pear on the palate. In a recent conversation, Rhonda stated she blended her Chardonnay from both “tightly grained barrels and loosely grained barrels” into the final production wine. For the 2019 Chardonnay, she incorporated a higher mix of new French oak barrels, which imparted a new twist on an already exquisite wine. A little bit less “buttery” but the same big mouthful feel/texture and imparting some mild “Sauvignon Blanc type” lemon citrus for enjoyment. The previous three years this wine made “The Best of the Year” on my annual report. It will again make it for 2021!
Thai, Pad Thai or Phad Thai, is commonly served as a street food and at restaurants in Thailand. Tonight’s dish was a shrimp Phad Thai on the lighter side with flat rice noodles, egg, garlic, tofu, bean sprouts, Chinese chives and crushed peanuts. Seasoning include fish sauce, sugar, water rice vinegar and chili powder Served with lime wedges to be drizzled over the meal with dried chili peppers. Served with a fresh side salad. While the “safe choice” of wine could have been a Riesling, the 2019 Wood Family Vineyards Chardonnay proved to work wonderfully with the food. Truly the sum of the two (food and wine) brought it to a new dimension. A winning combination for sure!
Sláinte,
Michael
California Wines & Wineries 