The second contender in California chardonnay week is the 2009 Bogle Vineyards at $8. That’s $3 less than the almighty Kendall-Jackson (which we rejected for tasting like a bunch of chemicals and for its unrelenting mediumness).
Bias alert! I’m doing this series because I don’t generally like California chardonnays — so if I can recommend one, it’s probably good enough for most people. I am not a normal, impartial judge of this kind of wine.
“WHOA.” That was my first reaction. This stuff is truly intense. It smelled like sweet mangos, butterscotch, and lemon — far more interesting than the Kendall-Jackson factory. The taste? Oaky and buttery . . . lemon and green apple acidity . . . butterscotch, melon, cream, some real sweetness . . . and, like Kendall-Jackson, the feeling that I was ingesting random chemicals. At least it’s a little spicy. That was my favorite part about this bargain white wine.
Bogle is a cool winery. It’s family-owned. They keep the price of this wine really low (which is a mystery, because it’s at least as good as Kendall-Jackson). And I hear great things about their bargain cabernet and “ThePhantom” red blend.
But I can’t recommend this chard. Which isn’t surprising because, as I’ve said, I generally don’t like California chardonnays. I wouldn’t go as far as this guy, who called the 2004 Bogle chard “undrinkable,” but I can’t agree with this other guy who said it was his favorite chard under $10. Wow. As for me, it really smells wonderful, but this intense California chardonnay is, unfortunately, not recommended.
Next!
Wineguider wine reviews 
W- Question: what are you doing with the left over portion? If you’re not drinking it, are either of these wines suitable for, say, cooking purposes, such as, roasting a chicken? or flash cooking shrimp with a white wine and butter? Or are these Chards better off tossed down the kitchen drain… ?
TG
Amazing!!! As I sit here reading your question, I am in fact right now eating a large piece of grilled chicken from the frou-frou butcher shop in my neighborhood, which I marinated in … drum roll … fresh ground pepper and Bogle chardonnay. It’s absolutely delicious. At only $8, Bogle clearly pleases many budget wine drinkers (based on its sheer sales volume), but I can also say that it has greatly pleased one Weber-grill-wielding Wineguider.