The Sienna Glen Chardonnay 2016 is a $6.99 ALDI exclusive sourced from vineyards in more than one California grape growing AVA and produced for ALDI by a winery located in Hopland, Ca. If you Google “Hopland Ca wineries” you can figure out who made the Sienna Glen. The back label says some of the wine saw some time in oak barrels which is a good sign for a Chard in this price range, it is not uncommon for inexpensive wine to get oak flavoring thru oak powder added to the steel vats. Other than that ALDI does not give out any information concerning this wine, which I think is a bit of a mistake since wine with a story behind it always tastes better. It does not have to be a grand, exciting tale any old story will do, but I guess for $6.99 you take what you get. The alcohol content is 13.5.
The color is a glistening golden yellow. The nose is vibrant, the aromas hit you from 2 feet away, there is apples, lemon, pear, peach, melon, lime, cream, kiwi, and dried banana. This is a medium-bodied Chardonnay with loads of flavor, but not sweet. It starts with lemon crème, pear, apple, peach, and vanilla. The mid-palate offers mild tart grapefruit, pineapple, a touch of spice, and coconut milk. This is a Chardonnay with some oak influence that folks who don’t like oaked Chardonnay will enjoy. There is ample acidity to work as a food wine, but not enough acidity to interfere with sipping pleasure. The finish is bold and lengthy.
If you like your Chardonnay bold, balanced, and inexpensive, the Sienna Glen Chardonnay 2016 should be on your list. It has a label that you wouldn’t look twice at and ALDI didn’t give the Sierra Glen a line of praise in their advertising, but if you want a Chardonnay that has a riot of flavors it is hard to do better in this price range. I am of the opinion that there are many good Chardonnay, but few great Chardonnay and the Sienna Glen Chardonnay 2016 is a good Chardonnay.
