If you knew the winemaker is fifth generation winemaker from the Wagner family you might try it. If you like wine from Santa Lucia Highlands of Monterey, CA, you might try it. If, like me, you’re a French wine snob and you see “Mer Soleil Unoaked” and you think, “Ocean Sun?”, ‘Ok that sounds good’- you might try it. That was my first reaction- the French name, and I inquired about the wine and was told it was from the Wagner family (of Caymus & Conundrum vineyards). I was sold.
The bottle arrived tableside, and I was intrigued. A short, squat, gray ceramic bottle? “Oh, it’s not gray,” I corrected myself- “it’s silver.” I immediately thought of the concrete tanks used for modern winemaking. Why go to all this trouble with the bottle unless the wine is really great?
After a nice taste, I determined: the wine is pretty good! It’s a solid chardonnay: pale straw color with a lemony nose, in the mouth it’s light, fruity, vibrant- free of the heaviness of oak and malolactic fermentation. Expect citrus, pineapple, some vegetation, young green apple and the minerality of clay and granite at the end. It tastes much like you might expect early morning Monterey sunshine to taste. A tight, crisp, acidic wine, it has a short finish and is perfect for seafood. I tried this with Florida Red Snapper and it was a good pairing choice; others drank it with cod and enjoyed it fully.
Mer Soleil Silver is a conversation piece on the bottle alone, then on the pedigree, as well as the terroir. Oh, and the wine is tasty, lush, and complex as it warms and opens to provide lots of discussion. Direct from the manufacturer at $24/bottle, seen online as low as $17/bottle. With scores in the 88-92 range, Chardonnay lovers of all types should give this a try.
The Wagner website is here,
a cool youtube video about the wine is here.
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