Notes from the cellar sale at Clos LaChance

As I noted in an earlier post, Clos LaChance are having a cellar clearance sale. I headed down there earlier this evening to see what's on offer. There were around 20 wines on sale, most in unfamiliar packaging. The wines are effectively variations on the regular Hummingbird series bottlings (which has always offered decent value for money) that have been bottled for corporate clients. The deals are certainly attractive; I picked up a few cases. Here are my brief impressions. Note that for contractual reasons I'm unable to publish the names of the wine, only the reference number. A full list is available at the winery.

SRCH06 2006 Chardonnay, Monterey County $4
Unoaked, and similar to the "Emerald Throated Hummingbird" label.
Light floral, apple nose. Crisp and dry, with green apple and lime. Good acidity, shortish finish. 88

SRCH07S 2007 Chardonnay, Monterey County 375 $4
Unoaked. Light nose shows lime and kiwi. Dry and tart; gooseberry and a slightly bitter finish. 84

JRCH07 2007 Chardonnay, Monterey County $5
Unoaked, and similar to the "Emerald Throated Hummingbird" label.
Apple and lime aromas, Smoother mouthfeel than the 2006 San Ysidro Ranch; apple, kiwi and lime. 87

FACC07 2007 Chardonnay, Monterey County $5
Unoaked. Red apples, sherbet, and surprisingly a hint of vanilla.
Smoother and more buttery, less acidity 86

WGWW07o 2007 Chardonnay, Monterey County $7
Light oak and citrus. Slight Belgian beer note. Lemon oak on the finish 86
(Note that there's also an unoaked version, but I missed that since the labels are almost identical)

2006 Clos Lachance Chardonnay, Santa Cruz Mountains $10
Big nose of baked apple, pear, vanilla. Creamy toast, fig, apple, lime. Oak tannins show on the medium finish 89 (Sold out!)

2008 Clos Lachance Estate Muscat $8
Light nose of oranges and elderflowers. Bone dry; notes of orange/citrus and a crisp, shortish finish. 87

There were three variations on the 2005 Hummingbird Meritage, each similar, but with some variation in blend or barrels.

FAMT05 2005 Meritage, Central Coast $7
Smoky, musty plum. Smooth smoke/ash notes; dry with plum and brambles, touch of bitterness on the finish. 87

JRMG05 2005 Meritage, Central Coast $7
As above, lighter nose and less smoky, finish less bitter. 87

SRMG05 2005 Meritage, Central Coast $7
Showed the least oak influence and brighter bramble & cassis fruit. 88

FACA06 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, Central Coast $8
Nose shows blackcurrant and liquorice root. Nice berry & bramble flavours and a smooth finish. 88

WGRW06 2006 Red Wine, Central Coast $7
Bright plum and cranberry nose, hint of raisin. Smooth with spicy plum flavours; dry, peppery finish. 88

The remaining wines were bottled for some kind of charity event and had a baseball theme:

CWBA06 2006 Merlot, California $3
CWJS06 2006 Merlot, California $3
Two similar offerings; light, fairly simple wines, each showing plums and smoke. Not much to separate them; the second had an odd note on the nose (hint of sulphide perhaps) and less smoke. 84

CWMB07 2007 Merlot, California $7
Bright fruity nose of brambles and raspberries. Showed more oak than the previous two - lots of black coffee and berries, with a dry finish. 86

CWDL07 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, California $7
Smoke and brambles on the nose. Dry and tannic, with cassis, toast, mint and nettles.
tannins show on the finish. 88

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