The 19 Crimes The Mummy Hard Chard is a limited edition wine I found at Target, priced at $11.99. 19 Crimes is a brand owned by Treasury Wine Estates, an Australian company. In 2021, they reached sales of 5,000,000 cases globally, equivalent to 60,000,000 bottles sold annually.
The Story
The 19 Crimes The Mummy Hard Chard is part of a series of wines that are released around Halloween, with different classic movie monsters on the label. The label glows in the dark, and if you follow a link on the back label, the label of your bottle is transformed into a virtual monster. Not a bad party trick.
The grapes are sourced from South Eastern Australia, which is the bulk of Australian vineyards, though there is wine in Western Australia. This is a non-vintage wine. I imagine the need for enough grapes to produce 60 million bottles has something to do with that.
19 Crimes has a regular Australian Chardonnay and a Martha Stewart California Chardonnay, in addition to the Hard Chard.
19 Crimes does not offer technical or tasting notes, but what probably makes this a Hard Chard is the 16% alcohol content. In Australia, the rating on the bottle has to be within 1 1/2% of the actual content; the actual alcohol content may be higher.
The 19 Crimes name comes from the 19 offenses that could get you sent to the Australian Penal Colony.
The 19 Crimes The Mummy Hard Chard Tasting Notes
The color is a pale sunshine yellow. The nose is melon, honey, apple, pear, and stone fruit, spice, and vanilla. The 19 Crimes The Mummy Hard Chard is smooth, but with a kick.
This Chardonnay tastes like tart apple, sharp spice, lemon/lime (not sweet), French vanilla, nectarine, and light tropical fruit.
The acidity is balanced, and the alcohol is noticeable.
The Summary
- The 19 Crimes The Mummy Hard Chard is a decent if a little strong for a Chardonnay, but the label is star of the show.
- As a party wine, the 16% alcohol may not be an issue, and depending on the party, it may be a virtue.
- It is a fun wine at a good price that will fit right in on Halloween.
