2018 Kendall Jackson ‘Jackson Estate Camelot Highlands’ Chardonnay [Santa Maria Valley] This is pretty huge at 15% abv, and for my tastes a big lush opulent CA chard with lemon and tropical flavors. It’s drier than their supermarket Chard, and even though I suspect WBers are hard wired to be suspicious of this corporate producer, I quite like this bottling. It shows plentiful vanilla from elevage in French oak, but I’m expecting that profile from this. For those who like Beringer PR, Rombauer etc. type of chards this is cut from that same cloth. I, and my siblings, have commercial tastes in CA blancs, and enjoyed this with a pan seared king salmon over a warm bean salad. The bottle actually made it to dessert. I’ll give it an A- in my ledger; the density and flavor drive that grade. It was nice to get out for dinner with family as its been a long time since we could do that.
Interesting, living in the PNW with how fatty our salmon is I actually prefer BDX Right or Left Bank with salmon vs. white wines or Pinot Noir.
Jess Jackson set up a quality wine empire from Lokoya/Verite/Cardinale on BDX grape side to Hartford Court for OV Zin to making sure KJ VR Chard moved to Estate Grown, which isnpretty crazy for a million or so cases.