Chardonnay was the focus of this blind wine tasting, which was hosted by Jeff Wyatt, owner of the hip, off-the-strip restaurant Marché Bacchus. The location was wonderful. We were surrounded by thousands of wine bottles; it was truly the perfect setting for a wine tasting.

To start the event, the participants gathered at the kitchen bar where William Sherer ordered the first glass of wine poured. William Sherer, Master Sommelier, is the wine director of Aureole in Las Vegas; he is also the designated Maître de Cérémonie of the bimonthly blind tastings that Aureole organizes and sponsors. After all the wines have been poured and accounted for, we began our task: tasting and enjoying the wines.

Virtual Wine Tasting Tour

We went on a virtual wine trip as the Chardonnay for this blind wine tasting came from all over the world. We visited Sonoma County, Chablis (Burgundy), Casablanca Valley (Chile), Macon (Burgundy), Treiso (Italy), and Austria. We finished the evening with a Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru (Burgundy).

Like the Vox Wine Lounge wine tasting event, the Marché Bacchus tasting was no simple blind tasting. I had to focus so hard on the aromas so I could assess the wines’ regional origin. As expected, things got really tough at times.

Wine Review and Wine Tasting Notes: Austrian Chardonnay

The Chardonnay from Austria was one of the evening’s most interesting and challenging wines. As far as I can recall, I’ve never had Chardonnay from Austria before this tasting; this made the task of geographically placing this Austrian wine even more difficult.

Wine tasting notes:  This straw golden wine had a brilliant, almost oily texture and medium plus viscosity. It presented the aromas of mango, guava and passion fruit. There was a hint of sulphur on the nose (not in a faulty context) and the balanced flavors of oak, vanilla, lees, and furfural. It had the typical acidic characteristic of cold-climate wine (medium plus acidity). This Prager also had nice complexity and a pleasant, lingering finish.

If it hadn’t been for the fact that the event was a Chardonnay wine tasting, I would have thought this Austrian wine was a Riesling blend due to its noticeable mineral (flint) content, acidity and tropical fruit aromas. Needless to say, I was not able to trace the wine to Austria.

Tip: This Chardonnay from Austria is a great buy if you can find it. Keep it in mind the next time you dine at Aureole.

Want to learn more about the other wines we sampled at the Marché Bacchus blind wine tasting? Just email me. I made wine tasting notes on most of the wines featured and will be glad to furnish you a copy.

The next blind tasting is set for the midnight of March 25, another Tuesday, although the location is yet to be determined. The focus will be ANY French red wines EXCLUDING Burgundy, Bordeaux and Rhône Valley wines! This ought to be an interesting tasting and, for those who will be attending, surprise us!

That’s all for this wine tasting. Until next time! Cheers!