McBride Sisters Truvée Chardonnay Central Coast 2014: Gold-yellow color; apple, pear on the nose; green apple, nectarine, green melon, pear on the palate;
some oak and butter, but welcomingly restrained, acidity is restrained, too, with just tingle of tartness, especially on the finish; 93.3% chardonnay, 4.7% muscat canelli, 2% chenin blanc.
This is sophisticated middle-of-the-road effort, no sharp edges, light body, a tip-toe toward sweet, then pulls back to semi-dry; very smooth, a quarter-pad of butter, creamy (40% malolactic fermentation), a dash of vanilla thanks to six-month visit into French oak by some of the juice.
The McBride sisters essentially are negotiants making wine in California and New Zealand. The style of this chardonnay is very attractive, it plays between the lines, joyfully avoids the butter-and-cream fruit bombs that too many Cal chard makers lurched into (to be fair, most of the industry realized the grave error of their ways).
This is sister-friendly sipper, no tongue-cutting acidity or stainless steel austereness, a wine the girls can fully enjoy as an aperitif or at book club get-together with light snacks. Guys, we can enjoy this, too, although we might first be piggishly attracted because the sister makers are hot babes in addition to being skilled wine makers. They have sensation back story.
The sisters were born and raised 7,000 miles apart. Robin grew up in California, Andréa in New Zealand. Neither of them knew of the other’s existence. Things changed when Andréa was 12 years old and received a call from her father. “He said he had just gotten out of the penitentiary. He said he had terminal stomach cancer. And oh, by the way, you have a sister.” Dad said he thought Andréa’s sis lived in California. By that time, Andréa’s life had been somewhat chaotic. After divorcing her husband, her mom died of breast cancer when Andréa was seven. A foster family in New Zealand raised her. Then came the phone call from a father she never really new. The sisters found each other just before their father died.
Andréa became a 6-foot-1-inch USC volleyball and track and field star who studied international business and was fascinated by wine; Robin worked in electronics marketing and was fascinated by wine. Today, their wine company is the first one run by African American sisters. They are a millennial amazing story making wines targeting millennials; expect them to be a wine force for quite some time. $14
Delightful website, worth a visit, view video
Second photo: Robin and Andréa McBride
