Wine+Food pairing recommendation

Versatile Chardonnays La Crema continues to impress my tasters with a decidedly Old World style derived from cool climate Russian River Valley fruit combined with modern winemaking techniques and judicious use of oak barrel aging. This opulent-yet-complex wine offers tropical aromas and flavors including tangerine, Meyer lemon and nectarine, while a creamy palate edged with vanilla and toasty oak has just enough finishing acidity to make this an excellent food wine.

Big and balanced It’s sure to be vineyard location but damn this wine is better than their more expensive Russian River Chardonnay; which is not too bad, but hot as hell. Here we have classic, full-bodied Cali Chard vibes with lemon curd, apple and pear aromas upfront with some baking spice and honeysuckle for good measure on the nose. The palate is soft and rich with added sensations of vanilla and baked guava tart. There may even be a little snap of peach in there. All this is easy to enjoy because unlike its big brother the alcohol is a nice 13.5%. It is under $20 and a great wine to have on hand for a get together or gifting. Rating B+.

Wines to celebrate St. Patrick's Day! Leek and Potato Soup is a delicious Irish classic. It’s creamy, savoury and satisfying, and pairs well with La Crema Sonoma Coast Chardonnay. Chardonnay grapes from California’s Sonoma Coast are lighter and leaner due to the cooler climate. This gives the wine a creaminess that matches the soup and refreshing acidity that balances its richness.

Wine+Food pairing recommendation WINE Tropical-fruited California Chardonnay: 2017 La Crema Sonoma Coast

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25 good California wines that you can get for $25 or less Monterey is a large and somewhat undervalued cool-climate region that makes distinctive chardonnay. Wilfred Wong: “Always a favorite in my household and amongst my friends, the La Crema Monterey Chardonnay has often been one of our first choices when looking for an entrée wine. The 2016 vintage is bright with focused citrus peel, racy minerality, and just a touch of oak. Pair its brightness with a tray of plump raw oysters.”

10 wines worth sharing for Thanksgiving Another chardonnay and pinot noir specialist from the Jackson family, this time producing wines from multiple appellations. The Monterey and Sonoma Coast wines are especially good values. The Russian River Valley wines are stars.

10 wines worth sharing for Thanksgiving Another chardonnay and pinot noir specialist from the Jackson family, this time producing wines from multiple appellations. The Monterey and Sonoma Coast wines are especially good values. The Russian River Valley wines are stars.

Top 14 Wines For February 14th! A delicious wine from the Russian River Valley that will surely impress. It has vibrant flavors and bright acidity due to the cooling ocean fog in the area. This wine is fun and fruit forward with citrus zest and white flower notes that follow through and leave you with a toasty elegant finish.

The La Crema 2016 Chardonnay (Sonoma Coast, Calif.) is deep gold in colour, and comes from a relatively cool region of California; on the nose it offers intense red apple and stone fruit (peach, apricot) as well as more subtle butterscotch and spice notes thanks to eight months aged in barrels. It’s medium-bodied and fairly creamy on the palate, with apple, peach and lemon meringue notes fleshed out by understated spice and vanilla bean flavours from the wood, but with enough focused fruit thanks to modest acidity. It’s a stylish example of Sonoma Chardonnay. ★★★★

89 points.

La Crema draws upon vineyards spread through the Sonoma Coast appellation to fashion this ripe and generous Chardonnay, which delivers juicy apple and lemon flavours with spice and vanilla accents. A mix of vineyards, Chardonnay clones and barrels ensures there’s rich diversity here. 4 stars.

Wine Pairings for Your Favorite Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Characters The Pillsbury Doughboy: It’s hard not to love this little guy, with his infectious laugh and ticklish belly. He is also the Thanksgiving parade character most likely to get you in the baking mood for the holidays. From biscuits to crescent rolls to pie crusts, all Pillsbury products share one thing in common: butter. So there’s really only one choice for him in the wine department: Chardonnay. This one from La Crema Sonoma Coast is about as smooth and buttery as you can get.

10 wines worth sharing for Thanksgiving Another chardonnay and pinot noir specialist from the Jackson family, this time producing wines from multiple appellations. The Monterey and Sonoma Coast wines are especially good values. The Russian River Valley wines are stars.

A smart chardonnay with bright fruit and layered flavors. Notes of apple, lemon and mineral, with a hint of caramel on the finish. A steal for the price. 3½ stars.

Top-quality producer La Crema continues to make inroads on liquor store shelves. Made in a rich and refreshing style, La Crema's Sonoma Coast Chardonnay delivers an attractive juicy fruit flavour and a bright character. There's appealing concentration and mouth-filling textre here, with good complexity and a lingering spicy finish. 4 stars.

What I'm Drinking This Spring La Crema makes a lot of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, from California and Oregon vineyards, and this is their basic bottling from Sonoma, with 13.5% alcohol. It is a very creamy Chardonnay without the cloying caramel and bitter oakiness so many others have. La Crema makes others more site specific, but at $23 this one is at least as flavorful as Chards twice the price.

Holiday Wine Pick With all the holidays, parties, family gatherings and variety of foods, December might be the best month for adventurous wine drinking. It also presents challenges deciding what to drink and what you can afford. Not to worry; I'm here to help with a shopping list of good, affordable wines from my recent tastings. Chardonnay is the most popular wine among Americans. For the many of you looking for modestly priced but still flavorful versions: ...2015 La Crema Monterey...

Chardonnay Masters 2017: Gold

White Night - A Night in California A nice nose, not too pronounced, just right. In the mouth it is rather notes slightly sweeter, but always fruity with papaya, pate and tangerine, but with a spicy touch and minerality. All with a well-balanced acidity.

Libations yule love this holiday season Wonderful Winter Wines On the twelfth day of Christmas the vineyards gave to me…wine. The obligatory bubbly and Chablis/Muscadet for the obligatory oysters aside, winter wines – red and white – need to be big and cuddly. Some ripe, plump California Chardonnay would kick things off nicely. Consider the 2015 La Crema Chardonnay in either the Monterey or Sonoma Coast versions. Both are full and lush, with the Monterey version showing fragrant caramel corn, browned butter, hazelnut, and tropical fruit aromatics and ripe pineapple, buttered nuts, and sweet vanilla flavours. The Sonoma Coast doles out whiffs of pear, honeysuckle, and clove that reappear on the palate in a supple, silky combination of flavour and feel.

California Chardonnay Hits the Mark Here we have another great effort from La Crema, albeit from a different part of California. This Monterey County Chardonnay is balanced and fruity with nice flavors of pear and apple. The wine finishes rich and creamy but with enough acidity to make for a great lingering aftertaste.

Harpers' Choice Three words sum up this wine - bright, crisp and exotic. On the nose, lemon, grilled pineapple and oyster shell prevail while on the palate, peach, papaya and crisp tangerine notes are complemented by a touch of spice and complex minerality. The wine provides a long finish with balanced acidity. The fruit used is a mix of hand and machine picked, which is gently pressed, followed by 24 hours of settling.

Summer Wines An unusually dry winter followed by a warm spring paved the way for this complex chardonnay from California. It drinks incredibly bright with loads of tropical fruit flavours. Citrus on the nose followed by peach, papaya and a zip of acidity.