2012 North by Northwest chardonnay H3

Though I don’t generally drink a lot of chardonnay, here is another surprisingly good one that I tried recently. I say “surprisingly” good only because, for the price, I did not expect too much from this wine. On the other hand, I must say that I have had consistently good luck with chardonnays (and most white wines in general) I’ve tried in recent months from the Pacific northwest. This particular wine was an impulse buy on a recent trip to one of my favorite local wine shops, Chris Hinton’s The Wine Store (http://www.thewinestoreinc.com/new_site/). This chardonnay, from Washington’s Horse Heaven Hills AVA, runs about $13/bottle and is a delightfully fresh young white with good overall balance and a nice, crisp acidity to counter the prominent chardonnay character. Aromas of lemon curd and vanilla wafers waft from the glass, with the vanilla staying nicely prominent throughout. I’d be pleased to serve this wine to any of my chard-loving friends. Definitely worth the modest price.