This bottle of Mad Housewife California Chardonnay was another Fred Meyer find at $4.99. I'm again impressed by the Mad Housewife quality (you can find my Mad Housewife Cabernet Sauvignon review here). It's a distinctively California Chardonnay—the fruit is there, but there's enough of the California style oak to announce this as California. It's pleasant, light, and not what I suspect a fair number of people expect from a California table Chardonnay. It's not bitter, acidic or so tannic that you can't smile while you're drinking. You can, I think, tell from the Mad Housewife Chardonnay why so very much French champagne begins as Chardonnay—this is a fun wine, and one I'd try on those who insist they hate Chardonnay. It's exceedingly well balanced between sweet and acid, there's a hint of something tropical, and while you can tell this wine has known some oak, it's got a hint of of that smooth finish that Washington Chardonnay fans rave about; the awards it's won are completely justified. My mom is not a fan of Chardonnay.The overly oaked version that became de rigeur in California in the 1980s completely convinced her to hate Chardonnay; I'll tell her to give Mad Housewife a chance. I'm definitely going to be watching for the Mad Housewife Merlot— it is carried locally, but it seems to be sold out on a regular basis—and I think that says something worth paying attention to, right there. I was in fact lucky to spot this bottle of Mad Housewife Chardonnay.

One of the things I mentioned about Mad Housewife in reviewing the Cabernet Sauvignon is that I very much appreciate their attitude towards wine, and towards incorporating wine in meal planning and ordinary life. There's the assumption that of course we serve wine with meals, of course we cook with wine, and of course we'll have a glass while we make dinner. This is not an ordinary wine, but there's no reason not to find a place for it in ordinary meal planning. Ruth, the Official Mad House blogger has a great recipe to pair with Mad Housewife Chardonnay, and it's perfect for Memorial weekend grilling: Black Sesame-Crusted Mahi-Mahi. I note that the recipe prep calls for stovetop cooking, but this really would transfer well to a grill. Alternatively, for those of us in salmon-rich areas, this wine would go very well with a simple grilled salmon fillet with a butter and dill sauce.