External search
Google (images)
Wine Advocate
Wine Spectator
Burghound
Wine-Searcher
Vintages
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
Show more
From this producer
Show all wines
All tasting notes
|
| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 91.7 pts. and median of 92 pts. in 63 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by forceberry on 12/30/2022 & rated 92 points: 100% Chardonnay from the dry-farmed 17-yo plot in Santa Cruz Mountains. Fermented spontaneously, aged in partially new French oak barrels. 14,4% alcohol. Tasted blind.
Youthful yellow-green color. The nose feels characterful and fragrant with aromas of gooseberries and fresh Golden Delicious apple, some sweeter notes of ripe nectarine, light green nuances of asparagus, a hint of creamy oak and a nutty touch of slivered almonds. The wine is crisp, dry and balanced on the palate with a medium body and focused flavors of ripe Golden Delicious apple and apple peel bitterness, some nutty notes of wood, a little bit of creamy oak, light crunchy notes of fresh gooseberries, a toasty hint of popcorn and a touch of apricot. The rather high acidity lends great sense of freshness and structure to the wine. The finish is dry, fresh and quite focused with a moderately long aftertaste of Golden Delicious apple and cantaloupe, some woody tones, a little bit of creamy oak, light crunchy notes of golden currants and gooseberries, a hint of apple peel bitterness and a touch of nectarine.
A surprisingly fresh, precise and focused Chardonnay. Although the wine is at almost identical ABV% as the 2007 vintage we had earlier this year, the difference between these wines is remarkable. That 2007 had a similarly brisk acidic spine, yet it came across as pretty heavy and somewhat clumsy with its more noticeable ripeness and rather pronounced oaky tones. This 2010 was instead slightly sleeker in body with less obvious ripeness in the fruit department and more integrated oak influence. A lovely wine that feels somewhat younger than what I'd expect from a 12-yo Cali Chardonnay. Great stuff that is drinking really well right now, but also shows potential for further development. (909 views) | | | Tasted by Frijole on 10/21/2020: golden yellow, lots of clarity, silvery hue
Nose: ripe pear, green apple, musk, minerals, vanilla, clove, white pepper,
oak
Pal: ripe pear, green apple, musk, minerals, lime, clove, white pepper, oak
Feel: medium, savory
Finish: medium
T6
horribly made wine, not aging well....blustery, California chard, no class (1403 views) | | | Tasted by SteveVermeer on 2/2/2020 & rated 92 points: Drank with a Balsamic and Pear Chicken dish, excellent. Drink now or hold for a couple of more years. Great wine. (1572 views) | | | Tasted by thelostverse on 1/16/2019 & rated 93 points: This was back to normal after a questionable showing with the last bottle. Apples and pears with deft touch of oak. (1896 views) | | | Tasted by LARich on 1/14/2019 & rated 92 points: Crisp and clean but starting to show it’s age. Drink up! (1943 views) | | | Tasted by ledwards on 10/15/2018 & rated 88 points: Deep yellow with oxidized notes but pleasantly, has gained additional Jura-like texture which with food, is satisfying but not special. (1907 views) | | | Tasted by 560 B&W on 9/17/2018 & rated 90 points: PnP with chicken. Oak has integrated, and the flavors are fine, but there isn't enough acid to make it interesting. 14.4% (1499 views) | | | Tasted by Chainthroer on 7/18/2016: No notes taken. (3032 views) | | | Tasted by msuwine on 3/7/2016 & rated 94 points: A beautifully-aged mountain Chardonnay. Yellow gold in color, medium in body, nose of almond and salt water. Thick tastes of cantaloupe, melon, and flint, with a round finish that reminds me of a white Bourdeaux. 13.4% alcohol. The fruit has subsided a bit, but this is a classic Chardonnay that shows the charm of age. Drink now. (3166 views) | | | Tasted by thelostverse on 2/19/2016: Opened at Anvil. This bottle was either off in some way for my taste, or it suffered in comparison to the '06 Ridge Chard Monte Bello opened alongside. I've had at least four of these over the years and they have all been in the 93 point range for me. This was not. (2851 views) | | | Tasted by AllRed on 2/19/2016 & rated 92 points: Courtesy of m/m tlv. Notes of buttered popcorn and apple with a strong tropical quality as it warms and opens in the glass. Full-bodied and layered; apple, buttered popcorn, banana and pear flavors with a lengthy finish. Vanilla custard and fig qualities appear with additional time in the glass. The only thing wrong with this wine, and all the others tonight, is that they were out shown by the Ridge. (2944 views) | | | Tasted by Frijole on 7/22/2015: medium gold, lots of clarity, silvery hue
Nose: sweet pear, vanilla, minerals, limestone, white pepper, musk, tarragon, green pepper, oak
Pal: pear, vanilla, minerals, chalk, musk, peach stone, white pepper, tarragon, green pepper, oak
Feel: medium/full, savory
Finish: medium/long, savory
TC8
Too syrupy? Almost like a Mersault; expected more elegance, like a Puligny; little complexity (4404 views) | | | Tasted by lvjohn on 3/16/2015 & rated 94 points: Still terrific CA chard. Very rich with vanilla notes showing along with traditional chard. flavors. (2259 views) | | | Tasted by lvjohn on 12/30/2014 & rated 94 points: Terrific! Intense CA chardonnay at its best. (2196 views) | | | Tasted by gmbdds on 12/20/2014 & rated 91 points: Full and complex, but also clean and crisp. Tropical notes along with lemon. a lot of secondary notes coming in with a deep pull of the nose and on the finish. (2142 views) | | | Tasted by bubbachumps on 11/21/2014 & rated 90 points: Bright lemon, toasty oak and vanilla on nose. In the mouth, expansive with some precision. I'm a big fan of Varner chards, but this one is showing too much oak for my taste tonight.. (2479 views) | | | Tasted by nortonnose on 10/28/2014 & rated 92 points: I've really enjoyed these Varner chards. Very high praise from a guy who prefers the kind from across the Atlantic! Just realized I've never posted on this wine before - surprising. Tonight's seems almost a bit faded - drink as young as possible? While tonight is very enjoyable, it's far more subtle than in previous tastings over the past 18 months. Golden straw color. Nice acidity and balance. Stone fruit, almost taking on a touch of sweetness in its "old age." Med finish. Drink up? (2290 views) | | | Tasted by lvjohn on 9/4/2014 & rated 91 points: Took a while to open up, but once it did, we liked it. Nice citrus and spicy apple flavors as I recall (2044 views) | | | Tasted by ledwards on 7/9/2014 & rated 88 points: Dominated by too much oak for my tastes as while it may be well-built, it is slightly masked by this component. (2165 views) | | | Tasted by lvjohn on 1/24/2014 & rated 94 points: Very special CA. Chard. Very pure, clean with a bit of wood. This wine compares very favorably with moe expensive CA. Charts. (2432 views) | | | Tasted by vanpe003 on 9/13/2013 & rated 93 points: For a chardonnay with a fair amount of oak and butter, and a generally heavy flavor profile, this still manages to come across as balanced. A "dark" rendition of chardonnay with enough of a resinous lift on the finish, and supporting acidity, to keep it from being overbearing. New world in style, but one of the better examples I've had in quite awhile. (2927 views) | | | Tasted by beezer6 on 5/2/2013 & rated 91 points: Nice medium bodied Chard. Absolutely California but absolutely NOT Napa.
Mineral core with sweet lemon, candied lime and some real gorgeous yellow flower accents.
Long finish with a kiss of oak. Very nice but Parker overrates these bottlings by a bit.
Still cannot find many better California Chardonnay at this price. (3341 views) | | | Tasted by FandL on 5/1/2013 & rated 94 points: Crab feed dinner. Paired great. (2912 views) | | | Tasted by Italiana on 4/8/2013 & rated 89 points: I remember the previous bottles as richer than this one. This bottle a bit lean, with tart citrus predominating. Makes me wonder if this vintage is already past its drinking window? (2711 views) | | | Tasted by CamWheeler on 3/14/2013 & rated 92 points: USA Cult and Wines of Interest (Sydney, Australia): Flint, matchstick and pear aromas with some ginger and vanilla. Great structure to the palate, with some layers of complexity and it shows fine length. More interesting texturally than the Home Block and Amphitheatre Block that it was served next to, this improved with air and I really enjoyed it. (3315 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, California's Central Coast: Better than Ever (Aug 2012)
(Varner Chardonnay Bee Block Santa Cruz Mountains) Subscribe to see review text. | By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (2/4/2013)
(Varner Chardonnay Spring Ridge Vineyard Bee Block) Light medium yellow color; intriguing, ginger, quince nose; tasty, rich, ripe quince, lemon, mineral palate; medium-plus finish 92+ points (14.4% alcohol) 92 points | By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (3/30/2012)
(Varner Chardonnay Spring Ridge Vineyard Bee Block) Light lemon yellow color; ripe, green apple, ripe pear, gooseberry nose; silky textured, tart pear, mineral, tart gooseberry palate with delineation and medium acidity; medium-plus finish (14.4% alcohol) 92 points |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Vinous and RJonWine.com. (manage subscription channels) |
| Varner Producer websiteChardonnay The Chardonnay GrapeSpring Ridge Vineyard Bee Block On weinlagen-infoUSAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson Santa Cruz Mountains Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Association | Wikipedia
Once referred to by wine writers as the Chaine d'Or -- or "golden chain" -- the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA sits above Silicon Valley, running along the craggy range next to the Pacific on some of the prettiest parts of Northern California. The area supports more than 75 wineries, despite being limited by geography and high land prices.
In 1981 the Santa Cruz Mountains Viticultural Appellation became federally recognized, one of the first American viticultural areas to be defined by geophysical and climatic factors. The appellation encompasses the Santa Cruz Mountain range, from Half Moon Bay in the north, to Mount Madonna in the south. The east and west boundaries are defined by elevation, extending down to 800 feet in the east and 400 feet in the west. |
|
