Our South American trip served two purposes last year. One was to taste all new vintages that were on their way to the U.S. and the other was to find a new producer for our Rubus Chardonnay label. In 2009 we used California grapes. In 2010 the quality from the California producer was just not there and there was no value to be found.

So in 2010, we started searching the globe for some worthwhile Chardonnay juice. The U.S. was overpriced for the product. We knew the Siegel family had planted hundreds of hectares of vineyard that they'd been experimenting with for the past 20 years. Most of the grapes were being sold off. No one in-house had ever tried to bottle any of the juice. We spoke with Alberto Siegel Jr., who quickly directed us to his father, who had originally planted these vineyards in the Colchagua Valley.

A very excited Alberto met us in the winery. It turns out that he had been wanting to bottle some of his Chardonnay for a while now. After some barrel and tank tasting, we all came to the conclusion that this was a worthwhile venture. Now that the finished product has arrived, we know it was worth the effort.

The Rubus Chardonnay's juice is a near perfect straw yellow color. On the nose, you will find pineapple with honey and the slightest hint of wood. Only 25 percent of the juice sees oak, and that 25 percent is kept in for only 3 months. This brief encounter with oak gives the Chardonnay a creamy feel on the palate. Overall it is rich, round, and fruity.

Try our Rubus wines for wonderful value selections.

Perfect for light summertime meals such as lemon covered pastas ,fish, nearly any seafood and of course cheese courses.