WINE REVIEWS: The Fat Bastard Chardonnay 2018
Now that we have covered the basics of Chardonnay, I hope if you have been unfamiliar with this cultivar, you will now have a little more wine knowledge. You can tell your friends how a chardonnay can vary in taste, the reasons for using oak and wood and the basic food and wine pairings. FINALLY move on to the good stuff: wine reviews! I have a pocket full of Chardonnay’s that I am itching to share with you. Some are wooded, some are unwooded, some suits the pocket, others a little more extravagant. Today I will be sharing my thoughts on the Fat Bastard Chardonnay 2018.
The Fat Bastard Chardonnay Story!
I don’t know about you, but I love a wine with a good story and FAT bastard. The Fat Bastard Chardonnay certainly has one to tell. I actually think all good wines are created by accident or by experimenting with things a little more less conventional! Thierry and Guy had a little experimental batch of Chardonnay at the back of the cellar.
Keeping it in the barrel with yeast sediment longer than usual this batch of Chardonnay developed a very full-bodied taste! It took Guy by such a surprise that he exclaimed in delight amongst a bellyful of laughter, “Well, now that’s a FAT bastard!” There is no better way than perfectly describing this wine’s wonderful colour and round, rich palate.
That is where it all started and now the tradition continues in creating full-bodied wines to be enjoyed with bellyfuls of laughs! “Much like a glass of FAT bastard wine, life should be filled to the brim and enjoyed in large, delicious gulps”. This is the voice of Mr. B. He’s gold, he’s grand and he lives life at the big end of large! He’s the grand-daddy of FAT bastard wines, loving them with great gusto.
In the Vineyards:
All Chardonnay grapes are harvested in the early hours of the morning. (This is when sugar levels are just perfect) The juices of the grapes are pressed while the grapes are still cool. This is to help lock in all those gorgeous aromas and flavours! So much love and care that goes into the FAT bastard Chardonnay it is nothing short of attention to detail.
Cellaring and Winemaking Process:
The wine is tank fermented with an element of quercus fragmentus (so this basically means that “oak tea bags” is added to the wine.) In this case the wine has about 30% wood contact for about 4 months. This now gives the Fat Bastard Chardonnay an extra added weight and complexity.
Wine Of Origin:
Robertson Valley
Alcohol Percentage:
12,75%
pH balance:
3.36 (so if you looking for something to compare the acid levels? You could compare it to 100% pure orange juice).
Enjoying the Fat Bastard Chardonnay At Home:
This wine is ready to drink or you can keep if for another 1 to 2 years in the right cellar conditions.
Best Temperature for serving the Fat Bastard Chardonnay chilled between 8° to 10°C
Award Winning: TOP scorer at the Best Value Chardonnay Tasting
Unsurprisingly, the result is a voluptuously delectable wine that’s not only fabulous to drink, it continues to win prizes too. The Fat Bastard Chardonnay 2018 proudly achieved a TOP SCORE in the Best Value Chardonnay Tasting 2019, convened by Winemag.co.za, with a top score of 90/100 points. A veritable coup of the fattest type!
The Best Value Chardonnay Competition main aim is to seek out best examples of Chardonnay between the R60 and R100 price points. Here the wines are tasted “blind” by Winemag.co.za’s suitably qualified panel consisting of Joanne Gibson, Ndaba Dube and Jeanri-Tine van Zyl.
Scoring is done according to the 100-point quality scale, with the top-scoring wines going through to a second round of blind tasting and discussion with Christian Eedes (Winemag.co.za editor and roving chair).
My Boozy Review:
I love the simplicity of the label. I mean… who could not fall in love or help to smile at the cute little golden chubby hippo?? It is too adorable.
Colour
The colour is a gorgeous bright golden hue, almost matching the same golden foil of the hippo on the Fat Bastard Chardonnay label. Almost as if the little hippo is secretly giving you a glimpse as to what treasure he is hiding inside.
Nose
The wine shows all the rich and ripe aromas on the nose: here you get that melt in your mouth buttery with tropical fruit and a little hint of vanilla!
Taste
You can’t help but to notice a mid palate fruit intensity, with a little vanilla creaminess tiny hint of brown butter lingers. It is bold in flavour but well-rounded, and good balance of acidity.
The name is fun, but the wine is an oxymoron. It is high in quality, fruit-driven, rich and round, and a food-friendly wine. This wine is perfect to enjoy on its own.
Price
For a premium Chardonnay like this – it is now wonder why it received the WineMag Best Chardonnay. You will be able to find the Fat Bastard Chardonnay at all retail stores nationally and pricing ranges from between R85 to R95 a bottle! Now that is EXCELLENT VALUE for your bucks!
Fat Bastard Chardonnay Food Pairing
I sipped and savoured each and every sip of this wine. I actually did not pair this wine with food. It was a super hot day and just wanted to sit outside enjoying the late summer evening, sipping on fine wine!
“You can’t beat a nice glass of Chardonnay after a really long, hard day.”
~ Suzanne Shaw
But if you are looking for a specific food? I would recommend a mouthwatering seafood dish, or grilled salmon or even a tropical roast chicken salad with avo, pineapple, butter lettuce and a light dressing will work well.
Here are 4 salads that will pair really great with Chardonnay:
French Bean Salad
Grilled Corn Salad with Roasted Peppers and Arugula
Grilled Romaine Salad with Aged Balsamic Vinaigrette
Best Cucumber Salad
A few more other recipes here and ideas here
Final Thoughts:
Do you want to know what the ultimate food pairing is with this beautiful bottle of Chardonnay from Fat Bastards, a dinner table set with family and friends having bellyfull of laughter and happiness. In the end it all doesn’t matter every day is a special occasion!
Final thought for the day, I promise…
“You could say one wine is like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz while another is like the mature Judy Garland, or that a big voluptuous chardonnay is like Marilyn Monroe -round, bosomy – you can remember that chardonnay, If you say a wine is snappy and lively, like Robin Williams, that’s very different than the Anthony Hopkins of wine – urbane, sophisticated, measured, considered.”
~ Karen MacNeil
In this case the Fat Bastard is a Marilyn Monroe, playful, fun, voluptuous, well rounded and music to the palate! So go on have some fun and live life large!
Website: http://www.fatbastardwine.co.za/ ·
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Twitter @FATbastardSA · Instagram @FATbastardSA
#LiveLarge · #BestValue · #BestValueChardonnay
**Disclaimer: My Boozy Kitchen Received a bottle of the Fat Bastard Chardonnay to taste and to give an honest review. I was not paid for this campaign. Thoughts and opinions are my own.