29 Jul Please The Palate Pick of the Week: Chamisal Vineyards 2015 Estate Chardonnay

Sitting at long tables with bibs on as big pots filled with lobster, potatoes, sausage, artichokes, corn, garlic and shrimp were spilled out in front of us, it was on! Everyone grabbed a lobster and was almost ready to go. What else did we need? A glass of wine, of course! And the wine for the night was the Chamisal Vineyards 2015 Estate Chardonnay, a perfect pairing for lobster and hence the Please The Palate pick of the week.

Chamisal Vineyards is located in the Edna Valley, just ten minutes from the coast. A cool climate area, it is an ideal location for the grapes pinot noir and chardonnay and that is what Chamisal produces. The vineyard was first planted in 1973 under the name Domaine Alfred. Eight years ago, they changed the name to Chamisal, which refers to the natural bush, called chamise, that grows in the vineyard. A sustainable vineyard and winery, Chamisal has more than 80 acres planted to five varieties (pinot noir, chardonnay, grenache, syrah and pinot gris).

The Chamisal Lobsterfest is an annual event at the winery. Due to its popularity, they hosted it over two nights, accommodating more than 100 people each night. After tasting through the wines on the crush pad, we moved into the tank room where rows of long tables were set up. Once the food was poured out on the table, we started to peel shrimp and crack lobster, and pass bottles of Chamisal Estate Chardonnay back and forth.

The Chamisal Vineyards 2015 Chardonnay, Edna Valley, was the perfect pairing for the lobsterfest. A bright and crisp wine with notes of grapefruit, lemon and honeycrisp apple, it cut through the rich sweetness of the fresh lobster and the soothed the heat from the spices.

We ate and drank and ate and drank until the only thing left on the table were corn cobs, artichoke leaves, shrimp and lobster shells and empty bottles of Chamisal Vineyard Estate Chardonnay.