Dan Aykroyd is a funny guy and this is a funny wine. Well, maybe weird is a better word. The nose is unique; I tried it at a dinner party with a few friends and at the first sniff everyone's first reaction was "what the heck is that!?" Everyone's second reaction was "Blech." We finally decided that the closest description is apple cider that is just starting to go off, maybe with a touch of gasoline. But with some time and air the wine developed. Unfortunately, it didn't get any better. A strong medicinal note became apparent - Vicks VapoRub. More of the same on the palate, then it finishes with a sour note. There's plenty going on here: as one person said "This is way more interesting than tasting good wine." But he's a Scotch drinker. Maybe someone out there would like this wine, but not me.
BUT WAIT: Did I just get a bad bottle (see the comment from Andrew Stodart)? Could well be. I'll have to try another - and in the meantime I'd love to hear from anyone else who has tried this wine. Remember, I'm no expert - the point of this blog is to get the conversation going, not for me to tell you what's good or bad.
UPDATE: I've tried the second bottle, and I'm afraid all I can say "Tasted twice with consistent notes."
Price: $17.29
Score: 65
Value: 1/5
Alcohol: 12.5%
Tasted: August 2008
ANBL UPC: 625713025067
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Hi Norman,
ReplyDeleteI have just read your review of Dan Aykroyd Chardonnay and we are concerned about what happened as it certainly is not in keeping with reviews we have been getting from others.
I believe you simply had a bad bottle as none of the description tallys with what we would normally expect to hear. As well I believe you had the 2006 vintage as that is what we shipped to New Brunswick.
We are now bottling the 2007 vintage and we would be pleased to arrange for delivery of another bottle of the 2006 along with a bottle of the 2007 for you and your friends to enjoy.
Please advise how we can contact you about this? I can be reached at astodart@diamondwines.com
I look forward to hearing from you shortly about this.
Andrew Stodart
Vice President - Marketing
Diamond Estates Wines & Spirits
I agree with your review. I - like hundreds of other NBers - bought a bottle when Dan was on his tour through the province. It is simply a very poor wine. I was silly enough to think that it was the bottle and actually went back for another. BAD MOVE.
ReplyDeleteThis wine tastes under ripe and more like apple juice than wine.
Celeb or not - Dan should be demanding more from a product with his name on it.
Anon,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the feedback. I'm glad to know I'm not alone. I've now received anothe bottle of the '06 as well as a bottle of the '07 from Andrew (previous comment). In light of your comment, I'm certainly glad I didn't spend my own money on the second bottle. And maybe the '07 will be better. In any event, if I can I'll serve it blind to some friends in order to give them both another fair shake.
any update on the re-taste?
ReplyDeleteNot yet - it's the weather. Every time I've served wine to friends, it's been red. I've had had only one bottle of white wine myself in the last month. I'm going to give up on waiting for the right time to taste it blind, or it will be next summer before I have it again. I'll give it a second try soon.
ReplyDelete