Hook and Ladder Chardonnay

Over the weekend my mom made her signature pork chop rice dish. This is the ultimate comfort food dish!!! The pork chop is slightly breaded, laid over a bed of rice on a baking pan, topped with scrambled eggs, chopped onions, chopped tomatoes, chopped mushrooms, and all covered in a sauce that consists of ketchup, worcestershire sauce, and some other stuff. All this is baked in the oven and served almost like a casserole. To complement this meal, we opened my 2007 Hook and Ladder Estate Russian River Chardonnay. I thought a chardonnay would help highlight all those ingredients in the pork chop rice dish and this wine did not disappoint.

Prior to eating, my wife, sister, and brother in law sat around the table and played a game of tasting and comparing our notes of this wine. We all agreed, the Hook and Ladder had an amazing nose. There was a definite hint of peaches, lychees, asian pears, vanilla, and a slight oakiness to this wine. I really enjoyed this wine. I would have to say it was definitely one of the better chardonnays I've had. The finish of this wine was broad with a slight acidity to it. After comparing our notes, I asked everyone what they thought I paid for this bottle. I got guesses from $20 dollars to $40 dollars. They were all wrong. This wine was only $16 dollars! My brother in law was surprised and wondered where he could buy it. I purchased this bottle from a local wine store in Redondo Beach called Friends of Vine however, I have not seen this wine anywhere else. (Please feel free to comment if you know where else we can buy the Hook and Ladder Chardonnay)

For me to rate this wine, I would give it an 8.5 cork rating. I thought the color of this wine was a little faint but given time, this wine should develop both in color and in characteristic.