Indestructible Wine

Another month, another post, another wine. And this one isn't a whine about bad wine--it is actually a celebration of a pretty darn good one, especially considering the price. After my disastrous encounter with Trove wines, I stopped in and purchased a different box-- a Black Box. I was hesitant, of course, but the 2 employees of the Byerly's Liquor Eagan store both swore by Black Box, with one even claiming the Cab was as good as any of the $20 bottles of Aussie wine in the store. The beautiful part? A box of wine holds the equivalent of 4 bottles of wine for the nifty price of $23 (likely cheaper at other liquor stores). So, I picked up a box of Black Box Monterray County Chardonnay, brought it home and threw it in the fridge...

The verdict? Very nice, particularly for a summer porch sipper. This wine has quite a bit of citrus nose to it, some melon undertones, and a nice silky texture. No malalactic fermentation has occurred, leaving out the buttery flavor you sometimes get in a chardonnay. There was a little bit of oak, but definitely nothing like Kendall Jackson. If you are a Sauv Blanc drinker who has shied away from America's best white grape (and there is not doubt that Chardonnay is California's best white grape), this is the box Chardonnay for you.