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The Juggernaut Sonoma Coast Chardonnay is a wine brand from Bogle Family Vineyards of Clarksburg, California. It is a wine I found for $14.99 at a local wine shop.
The Sonoma Coast AVA is the most westward AVA in California and runs to Mendocino. It features rugged Coastal Mountain valleys and is a cool climate region with varied soil conditions.
The Sonoma Coast is an excellent growing area for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. There are many boutique, smaller production wineries here and the wines are highly prized.
Bogle Family Vineyards is a 5th generation winery that started farming in Clarksburg in the 1970s. Clarksburg is south of Napa and is located in the river deltas stemming from the San Pablo Bay. Lodi is east and a little south.
The Juggernaut Sonoma Coast Chardonnay 2021 has some production details featured in more expensive wine. This is an oak barrel fermented Chardonnay.
Most value-priced wines are fermented in stainless steel vats, they are easy to clean and endlessly reusable. Oak Barrels are expensive and can only be used for a fixed amount of time.
The Juggernaut Sonoma Coast Chardonnay 2021 is fermented in 86% one and two-year-old barrels the other 14% is fermented in stainless steel.
They do not mention the length of the aging process. The barrel fermentation will give this Chardonnay oak flavors and textures. The alcohol content is 13.5%.
The Juggernaut Sonoma Coast Chardonnay Tasting Notes
The color is wheat yellow with a golden tint. The nose is rich and ripe, with mellow lemon, vanilla cream, melon, peach/pear, pineapple, apple, and a floral edge. The Juggernaut Sonoma Coast Chardonnay has an excellent mouthfeel and is full of flavor.
This Chardonnay tastes like a stew of green apple, French vanilla, peach, and nectarine, with a slap of spice, and some dried pineapple. The mid-palate offers melon, ripe pear, and tropical fruit.
The acidity is well-controlled and allows the flavors to fully unfold.
The Summary
- The Juggernaut Sonoma Coast Chardonnay 2021 is an upscale wine at a reasonable price.
- It has an oak influence, but a really tasty oak influence.
- There was a time when oaked Chardonnay could be heavy-handed, but here it just tastes good.
