Meiomi Chardonnay Wine Review
Meiomi Chardonnay comes from California, USA. What’s most notable about this wine is that the Chardonnay grapes are sourced from three different counties.
37% come from Monterey County.
36% come from Sonoma County.
27% come from Santa Barbara County.
Meiomi does this to achieve “the best expression of their respective appellations…”
Along with their Chardonnay, Meiomi also produces a Pinot Noir that I’ve reviewed: Meiomi Pinot Noir
I’ve also reviewed the inaugural release of their Rose, which you can find here: Meiomi Rose
Sample of Meiomi Chardonnay received for review purposes. This site is reader supported. I may be compensated via the links clicked in this article at no additional cost to you.
Meiomi Chardonnay Review
From the bottle:
Meiomi Chardonnay embodies the characters of California’s most notable coastal wine regions. Unifying the unique characters from each region allows this Chardonnay to distinguish itself as an elegant, balanced Chardonnay fully formed.
I tasted the 2014 vintage of this wine with help from my friend Al.
Appearance
In the glass, this wine was brilliantly brassy in color. Picture the color of a shiny brass trumpet!
Light shining through revealed bright yellow reflections.
We also noticed lots of tiny bubbles on the bottom of our glasses.
The wine exhibited numerous legs that fell in two different waves. The first wave being quick to fall and the second much slower.
Aroma
From about a foot away, I quickly noted a pear aroma coming from my glass.
Up closer we noted hints of peach, citrus and more pear.
Very little alcohol was noticed in the aroma.
Meiomi Chardonnay alcohol content 13.6% by volume per the bottle.
Taste
Upon tasting this wine, we both were pleasantly surprised at the amount of complexity in the flavor.
We had to take a moment to dissect everything that was going on. And another sip!
When we did, we determined the wine’s flavors were primarily pear (with a subtle sweetness) and slightly tart citrus (combining lemon and lime flavors).
I felt the subtle sweetness was most noticeable on my tongue.
Mouthfeel and Tannins
Though I usually reserve the category of “mouthfeel and tannins” for red wines, these attributes are very present in Meiomi Chardonnay.
The wine has a lush, creamy mouthfeel and waxy tannins. Taken together, I’d call it “juicy.”
The tannins are noticeable at the very end of the finish as a slight bitterness that is well balanced by the lingering sweetness on the palate.
Finish
The wine finished medium to long and the finish was nicely round.
Overall Opinion
Overall, we both felt this wine deserved high marks.
The winemaker succeeded in bringing complexity to the taste by combining the attributes of fruit sourced from multiple counties.
That taste was enjoyable and easy drinking.
I happen to like a slightly less sweet Chardonnay, but I’m confident that most people would really enjoy this wine.
Recommend!
Meiomi Chardonnay suggested retail price $20.99.
Suggested Food Pairing
Food and Wine has a great suggestion of pairing Braised Chicken Thighs and Parsnips with a pear scented Chardonnay.
Sounds like a tasty match!
I love this Chard! We shouldn’t need a handy rubber twister to get into a bottle of wine. Is there something wrong with the handy screw top? You have a lovely Chardonnay … why make it so inaccessible to get to. May try once more to see if it is easier with the solutions above. If not, I’m done. Sad.
Thanks for visiting Honest Wine Reviews and commenting, Junelle.
My site is a wine review site and not the Meiomi website.
It’s possible Meiomi will see your comment and use your feedback, but you’d be better off to contact them directly.
Cheers!
Jon
I was impressed with the elegant wrappage of the top and wondered about opening, until I noticed some little arrows pointing one way. Grabbed my rubber handy twister, a couple of rounds of the bottle and bingo–delicious Meiomi pinot nooir to enjoy. Fits the earlier analysis.
Thanks for the info, Elsa!
OH, you poor babies…i’m 90 and opened the bottle easily…its a twist -off cap!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The screw top does not come off easily, and the metal foil is extremely sharp. Worst design for a wine bottle ever encountered. Use extreme caution!
Excellent and informative review!
Thanks Edgar… Much appreciated and glad you liked it!
OMG!! I just bought this bottle of wine and had to look on line to see how to get it open!! I about dropped the bottle, cut my fingers on the foil, but I got it. It is delicious! It is the most expensive wine I’ve ever bought (don’t judge me)
Thanks for commenting Donna…
Happy to hear you were rewarded for your struggles!
Cheers,
Jon
Unbelievable how freaking difficult it was to open this bottle!! My husband and I started with the wine opener and then resulted to U Tubing on how to open it. THEN…read the reviews and KNEW we were not crazy!! Used Cutco Knife, saws-all, and pliers. Finally got it open. NEVER AGAIN! What the hell?!?!
Be careful when opening this beautiful glass bottle. If you are sharing it with the one whom gifted you this wine, the aroma will have you falling in love with the woman that wanted to give it to you. Amore!
Cheers Gregg!
My wife started drinking this a few weeks ago. I tried it and it was ok, but not my style of chardonnay. I would far prefer spending my money on a bottle of Louis Latour Puligny Mantrachet over the run of the mill California style Meiomi offers, but gotta keep the wife happy!
Thanks for commenting and sharing your recommendation Tony!
A 69 year old working man can screw it off bearhanded with ease!
You got it buddy (a 68 year old working man).
I had to laugh when I read about the travails of others trying to open the bottles. I made the same mistakes until I learned that the cap is actually a twist off. It is very well disguised! All that is needed is to just twist the cap. The foil breaks cleanly as the cap is removed.
The struggle is real! Been there too…
Thanks for commenting Mike, Cheers!
Yes. It is ridiculous. I have been trying to open these 2 bottles for two weeks. I will probably never buy this one again. I had no problems with other brands. I wasted my money.
No it does not! I used a knife to break it to no success!
Chardonnay
My favorite wine saw advertised on TV my local state store is going to order me some today
Thanks for commenting Lil… Always great to have your favorite wine on hand!
I totally agree!!! My favorite Chardonnay but travel with laytex glove to open it!!! Ridiculous.!!! Just tried to open the bottle with it on the floor for leverage. It slipped and hit my ankle! Lovely bruise! Alcohol will ease the pain…. hopefully
Thanks for commenting, Gayle, and for giving us all a good chuckle. ;-)
If you want to try this wine, first get a pair of pliers. A good stiff pair of needle nose or a lineman’s pliers should do the trick. Then you will need some sort of thick rubber gripper to proceed with opening the bottle. You could, of course just smash the top of the bottle off but you will not be able to open this thing bare handed under any circumstances. Consider thick gloves because the sheet metal covering of the bottle is quite dangerous when you are able to tear it. The wine is so-so and not worth the 20 minute ordeal of opening the bottle.
I agree.
I hadn’t read the review, but I agree: opening the bottle was a challenge. Enjoyed the first glass. Will see what the future brings regarding taste.
That is so true! Maybe a sword would work too!
This is so funny because I couldn’t decide if it was a cork with a very thick foil or a screw top. so I scored it as if I was going to use a cork screw and then realized it was a screw cap except I needed pliers to break the seal. So I’m not alone lol!
OMG I’ve earned 2 band aids already and the damn bottle is still sealed.
Never had a wine cork break a corkscrew…until Meomi. My! Oh me!