Review: Villa Wolf Chardonnay 2023

Before renowned winemaker Ernst Loosen (Dr. L Riesling) purchased Villa Wolf in 1996, this estate had an illustrious 250 year history behind it.

This Chardonnay is the latest release in the Villa Wolf Varietal Series, so new in fact that it’s not yet been added to their website.

Whereas the Villa Wolf Pinot Noir at $19 (not currently available) is always a value for the price, the Chardonnay suffers a little in simplicity. It’s a well made wine but it doesn’t rise to the expressiveness of the Pinot Noir for the money.

You’ll experience notes of Meyer lemon, ripe pear and white flowers on a medium body. The wine is soft with a little juiciness via the citrus notes and there’s a creaminess that suggests the wine may have spent a little time on its own lees to develop that texture.

It’s not outrageously priced at all, especially for a producer with this reputation and if you are a fan of Chardonnay it’s worth trying at least once. 

One other thing of interest: the fruit quality is quite good here because while it only has 8 g/l of sugar, it feels sweeter. My recommendation would have been to vinify further to 13% alc to get rid of that extra sweetness for a more crisp finish. As it stands the finish on this is disappointingly flabby.

A perfectly reasonable wine that would pair well with poached cod in an onion cream sauce.