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The Rebuttel Chardonnay 2021 is a $6.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive made for them by a winery from Lodi, California, though this wine is a California wine and not AVA designated. You may notice that Rebuttel is misspelled (Rebuttal). The name is a sort of a pun, a butt is an old measurement for wine and spirits and is approximately two Bordeaux-style barrels in size.
The Rebuttel Chardonnay 2021 is produced with a lighter touch with an oak barrel influence. It is kind of a stretch as a pun, the name is essentially a butt joke. This Chardonnay is made by some entity of Delicato Family Vineyards, from Lodi and Napa, who recently purchased Coppola Winery. They know how to produce quality value-priced wine.
When buying a store-brand wine, knowing where the wine came from is a plus. There are wine companies that specialize in producing custom wines that make good wine. But knowing this or that an established winery was behind the production of the wine is reassuring.
The Rebuttel Chardonnay 2021 looks like it has some oak aging, the Fearless Flyer write-up mentions lightly toasted brioche which is an oak flavor. But the overall impression of this wine is intended to be lighter Chardonnay with subtle acidity.
This is a summer Chardonnay intended to be paired with pasta, salads, and seafood. The alcohol content is 13.5%.
The Rebuttel Chardonnay 2021 Tasting Notes
The color is pale wheat yellow. The nose is a stew of melon, apple, lemon, orange blossom honey, light spice, peach, and pear. The Rebuttel Chardonnay 2021 is a brisk, crisp Chardonnay it sips well, but this is a 6.99 food wine.
This Chardonnay tastes like lemon with a hint of lime, tart green apple, dried apricot, and spice. The mid-palate offers the salty/nutty “on-lees” thing, guava, dried pineapple, and spiced pear.
The acidity is well-balanced, it allowed the flavors to unfold and set your palate up for the next sip. The Flyer Flyer suggested the acidity was reduced, but it seemed to be typical for a California Chardonnay. There is a roundness to the flavors that would suggest some sort of oak treatment, but otherwise, the oak did not get in the way.
The Summary
- The Rebuttel Chardonnay 2021 is an excellent summer Chardonnay, how can you complain about a $6.99 wine that is worthy to be paired with a home-cooked meal or carry-out.
- It has an interesting flavor and excellent balance, the flavors tend to be tart rather than rounded and fruit-forward.
