Does Price Really Matter?

Spring in Kansas is always too short, but beautiful nonetheless.  Cool, pleasant evenings seem to call out for a white wine. Jamie Stratton, owner of Jacob Liquor, had suggested a favorite Chardonnay that they had on special for $60 when it usually runs around $100. That’s a pricey wine, and it makes you wonder if it’s worth that higher price tag.  Jamie also suggested another favorite of his that cost $40. Ding! Ding! Bart had an idea - compare the two wines, blinded, and see if the difference could be spotted.  Would he and his friends be able to tell which was the more expensive wine? For this, Bart and his wife, Melissa, asked over friends who enjoy higher end Chardonnay on a regular basis, John and Cheryl. Cheryl likes a great chardonnay and John likes a good deal (read not necessarily cheap, but worth the money). The foil capsules were removed and bottles bagged, and Melissa retrieved them and opened them still in the bag, so they remained blinded to everyone.  

First blind bottle pulled (it turned out to be the 2019 Morlet ‘Ma Douce’ Chardonnay) had a deep rich golden color with notes of orange blossoms, white peaches, apricots, and a subtle bread dough character.  

It was a big, full wine, beautifully balanced and silky smooth on the palate with a long mineral finish and notes of warm, toasted bread. Watching John and Cheryl methodically unpack this wine took several minutes.  They both really enjoyed the process, “clearly not your everyday chardonnay.” Cheryl felt that if you liked Rombauer Chardonnay, this wine would clearly be a step or two up the complexity ladder. John was reserving judgement, waiting on the second wine.  Everyone was excited to try # 2 after such a wonderful start.

The second blind bottle (ultimately the 2022 Force & Grace Chardonnay) was a little lighter in color and screamed Meyers lemons and green and yellow apples over a stoney minerality (what Bart means by this is that it kind of smells/tastes like what you would think wet rocks in a stream would smell/taste like).

This brightness carried a palpable acidic energy across the palate, before a gentle run out with soft oak elements (Bart can’t help himself and gets technical in his descriptions, but acid is what makes your mouth water when drinking wine, and oak adds flavors like vanilla and baking spices). Both wines were very enjoyable and very different. John began waxing poetic about proximity to cool breezes, differences in oak and stainless steel during production, and winemakers’ decisions in the winery. He could not have been more correct. The Chardonnay grape is often described as the vintners’ blank canvas, and tonight was a fantastic example.  Both of these wines were hand picked and processed, they both used French oak aging and at least some malolactic fermentation (the process that converts the harsher malic acid—think green apples—to the softer lactic acid—think yogurt), but with different goals in mind. The 2019 Morlet “Ma Douce” produced along the northern Sonoma Coast was made in a style similar to that used in Burgundy, France, but using intense California fruit, fermented and finished in French oak. The 2022 Force & Grace Chardonnay is from Carneros, allowing the cooling fog from San Pablo Bay to help maintain this bright, fresh character. It’s then at least 15% fermented in stainless steel to help preserve that freshness.

So back to the first question: could they pick which was the more expensive wine? They all chose the first wine, the Morlet “Ma Douce,” as the more expensive. It had an elegant, expressive presence about it. If a white wine can aspire to be a thinking wine, this one may have earned the right!  It left one a little quiet and pensive. This wine will age well for 5+ years.  

The second wine was also lovely but in a brighter, more casual way. It’s more of a drinking wine. This wine simply left you with a smile!

And they were all correct. So can you taste the difference between a $40 and a $100 bottle of Chardonnay? On this occasion, yes you could, and everyone agreed.

In a nutshell:

The wine:

Morlet - A

Force & Grace - A

Would we buy these wines again?

Morlet – Yes, all day long at the sale price of $60, and for special guests at retail of around $100.

Force & Grace – absolutely