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The Aldi’s Specially Selected Napa Valley Chardonnay 2021 is a $10.99 ALd exclusive new to the Specially Selected brand as of April 2024.
The Aldi Specially Selected line includes wines from premium growing regions like Napa, Rioja, Marlborough, Bordeaux, etc.
Napa Valley is a large AVA, so simply showing Napa Valley as the place of origin gives us only so much information. I Napa where exactly the grapes are grown and who made the wine are the most important bits of information.
The back label gives PWP Wines as the company that bottled the wine, but bottling is the least interesting part of the process, We do not know the origin of the grapes or the producer.
This is a $10.99 Napa wine so we can’t expect too much information.
The back label mentions oak spice, so some sort of oak influence and/or aging was used.
It also mentions tropical, fruit, citrus, stone fruit, and a velvety mouthfeel. My guess is this Chardonnay may be a blend of oaked Chardonnay and unoaked.
There is a note of a creamy texture which could be from malolactic fermentation and stirring the lees (dead yeast left in with the wine to age.) The alcohol content is $14.5%.
The Aldi’s Specially Selected Napa Valley Chardonnay Tasting Notes
The color is bright, shiny wheat golden yellow. The nose is melon, lemon, a hint of minerality, apple, peach, pear, it is more dark and brooding and bright and ripe. The Aldi’s Specially Selected Napa Valley Chardonnay is silky smooth upfront with some interesting flavors of the mid-palate.
This Chardonnay tastes like melon, Meyer lemon, and Anjou Pear, followed by a touch of cream and dried apricot. The mid-palate shows tropical fruit, a hint of butter, and tart lime. The acidity is balanced and this Chardonnay does show creamy flavors and textures.
The Summary
- The Aldi’s Specially Selected Napa Valley Chardonnay is an interesting and tasty wine.
- It isn’t bright and juicy like the typical $11 Chardonnay, but it is fun to sip.
- This is a well-balanced, flavorful Napa Chardonnay.
