Chardonnay at Insalata's

It was a brief evening at Insalata's in San Anselmo. A few people ordered the same items on the menu and then there was what I like to call "Helen Keller sharing" where we all ate off each other's plates. I was the only one who ordered the yellowfin tuna, which was lightly seared and sitting in a bed of delicious something with something else delicious drizzled on top. There was a nice play of tangy and salty and the fish separated like butter and sat on my fork like a juicy nugget of fleeting joy. I couldn't eat it fast enough but I couldn't eat it slow enough. It was all so very, very good.
I cannot remember what I was drinking while I ate. That shows you how the fish took the prize, and all my attention. However, near the end of the night, my dad suggested I smell his glass of wine. I took it, swirled it and sniffed. It was light like a viognier with citrus scents, had no trace of barrel, and smelled blossomy like springtime. It was so good I stuck my nose in it for about a half hour. It reminded me of the Wingo White that Larsen's Family Winery sells in unique jugs and named after the historical ferry that traveled up the river to Carneros. Light and playful- like a brunette taking a break and being a blonde for a day.
Then my dad decided to just let me have it- if he was sick I was going to get it by vaccuming up his germs with my nose like that, so he finally said, "yeah yeah, just drink it!"
The taste was not farther back in the mouth like a chardonnay, it wasn't heavy with malalactic acids like a chardonnay and lastly, there was NO barrel! It couldn't be a chardonnay!! It was as deceiving as the J Winery Chardonnay, which tastes more like pear syrup.
Anyway, as it turns out, it was a chardonnay. Probably the first I've ever liked.


I went to the online menu and I believe this was the one:
2006 Franciscan Chardonnay, Napa Valley