Winey Tasting Notes: The Empty Nest Series: Chloe Chardonnay

Since the Winey Nest has become a Winey Empty Nest, I have dedicated a new series of wine reviews to the children who will never leave for college and career: The Winey Doggies. They are a pair of little characters: Chloe, an 11 year old Maltese and Rory, a 2 year old mostly Maltese (she has 1/4 Shih Tzu in her, hence her black and white coloring). These two girls are my constant companions in the Winey house (I mean that literally sometimes…Rory has come to see me as her own private couch whenever I sit down) and are without a doubt the best little doggies in the world. (Please note that I am NOT dismissing your own Winey doggies and their shot at being best in the world. But if you are a dog person, you know where I’m coming from. As the folks at The Westminster Dog Show say, “Best in show is the dog sitting next to you on the couch.” And they are right!)

I was thrilled to find out that The Chloe Wine Collection decided to name themselves after our older dog. Ahem. I first tried their Chloe Pinot Grigio and loved it. So I was anxious to sip on the Chardonnay. While the Pinot Grigio is from Italy, the Chardonnay is from California’s Sonoma County. And it does my Chloe and Sonoma County proud.

Chloe Chardonnay (2012, 13.5%, Sonoma Co.) is a pretty translucent gold color with aromas of white grapes, pears and cinnamon. The taste is classic Chardonnay: pear and vanilla and cinnamon with a touch of mellow oak to finish it all off. The finish was smooth and lingering and it felt creamy and full in my mouth. Another winner for Chloe.  A little refresher course here: according to the Chloe Collection website, the word “chloe” is an ancient word that means “blooming”. That’s just what this wine did – it started off with the pear flavor and then bloomed into the vanilla and cinnamon spices and opened up fully at the end, adding in the oakiness.  Another great one from the Chloe folks. And at $12.99, it’s very affordable. Buy this if you like your Chardonnay lightly oaked and full of flavor as opposed to big and oakey and buttery.

Chloe on her pillows.

Rory watching Chloe on her pillows!

My Chloe (the one not in the bottle) was happy to hear that I liked another of her namesake wines. She showed her happiness by…..taking a nap. You see, at 11 years old, Chloe is starting to slow down a bit, and she has recently come through a health scare that had us all very worried. She has seen so many vets and specialist vets that The Winey Hubby and I have decided one of our Winey Children should go into that field simply to make house calls for us. OK, so neither of them is even close to showing any inclination to be a veterinarian, but that is beside the point. Now, she was never a spitfire type of dog. No squirrels were chased, no holes dug. Her greatest pleasure as a puppy and young dog was to roll on her back and have her tummy rubbed. And to sit on your lap or, if that wasn’t possible, so push her little doggie butt up against a human butt and burrow in. She still loves tummy rubs, but with her new frailty, one of her favorite spots is now atop two big throw pillows in the corner of the couch. She is and always will be a total and complete love of a dog,  and to see her so frail these days touches my heart with a sadness that only another dog lover can understand.

So cheers to Chloe – the wine and the wonderful, wonderful dog.