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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 91.4 pts. and median of 92 pts. in 34 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by buckeye76 on 11/23/2023 & rated 91 points: Similar notes as our previous tastings. Apricots and citrus with floral and nutty notes in the nose. Citrus fruit and apples in the flavor. Nice balance and acidity, medium bodied, and a medium length finish. (196 views) | | | Tasted by buckeye76 on 10/29/2023 & rated 91 points: Similar notes as our previous tasting. Apricots, citrus, nuts and spice with floral hints in the nose, Citrus fruit and apples in the flavor. Nice acidity, medium bodied, and a medium to long finish. (214 views) | | | Tasted by JohnMcIlwain on 9/1/2023: Lovely bottle. Wonderful California Chardonnay that has energy to spare and a fine equipoise between fruit and structure with judicious oak. Wonderful with poached halibut. Wish I had more. (283 views) | | | Tasted by buckeye76 on 4/19/2023 & rated 92 points: Better than our last tasting in 2021, this bottle being richer with more structure. Apricots, citrus, nuts and spice with floral hints in the nose, Citrus fruit and apples in the flavor. Nice acidity, medium bodied, and a medium to long finish. (425 views) | | | Tasted by Tremendous_Slouch on 11/5/2022 & rated 88 points: I have enjoyed this in the past but not this time. There is a distinct waxy mouthfeel. The nose is muted. Flavor of peach, candied lemon, some
Kind of nut. (618 views) | | | Tasted by JohnMcIlwain on 6/30/2022: Solid showing. These have held up well and were worth the reputation. Stony lemon curd, well-knit oak. Really pretty nose. Complete. Very good, really. (651 views) | | | Tasted by buckeye76 on 12/14/2021 & rated 90 points: Lighter example of Chardonnay, but still plenty of flavor, nicely balanced and a good pairing with Butternut Squash Soup. Medium length finish (891 views) | | | Tasted by Backdoctor on 2/25/2020 & rated 93 points: another outstanding chard from Varner (1274 views) | | | Tasted by For the Love of Wine on 2/23/2020 & rated 92 points: Cult Wines (Jason's House): A very nice, reasonably priced Chardonnay. The wine was singing in the glass with hints of flint and seashell assaulting the nose coupled with sweet oak, and honey lurking in the background. For my palate, this was Burgundian in style, with a nice balance between the fruit and acidity sharing a symbiotic relationship, both complimenting each other. On the palate, notes of crisp green apple, vanilla and a touch of pear, all balanced out by sweet toasted oak. A delight to drink! Went well with the Ahi tuna salad. Drinking well now, and should keep for another 3-5 years. (1443 views) | | | Tasted by galewskj on 2/22/2020 & rated 93 points: "Cult Wines" (Jason's House): I got a fair amount of oak on this initially, and then it blew off. You are then left with the spice and slight vanilla from the oak, along with lemon oil, tangerine, a touch of butterscotch, and a briny mineral quality that balances is out. I'm not familiar with this producer, but this bottle made me stand up and take notice. (1467 views) | | | Tasted by rocknroller on 2/20/2020 & rated 94 points: "Cult Wines" & a Few Others (Jason P's, St. Paul, MN): Light gold plus color. Drank a glass over an hour plus. Very complex and mature nose with apple, tangerine, briny minerality, lanolin and great spices. The palate is dense and golden with great lift, tangerine, lemon, great brine, lanolin, rich but not heavy with mice length. I love the balance of fruit and spice. 93+ to 94pts. (1464 views) | | | Tasted by glou.sf on 2/13/2020 & rated 93 points: Notes of flint, smoke, herbs, lemon, and chamomile on the nose. Good acidity with flavors of citrus, orange zest, minerals, and lime on the palate. Nice finish. Excellent CA Chardonnay! (954 views) | | | Tasted by Seafoam Manor on 12/5/2019 & rated 92 points: Age has been kind to this. Lots of phenolic ripeness, but it doesn't get boozy or plodding and maintains nice acidic lift. Goes light tropical with pineapple notes, but is mostly grounded in meyer lemon, yellow apple, slightly bitter almond, wet rocks and smoke. While rich, this doesn't get bogged down in oakiness or big malo notes. It's a shame they lost the lease on the Santa Cruz Mtns. vineyards. I don't think this is at risk of falling apart, but I would drink these in the next couple years. (758 views) | | | Tasted by msuwine on 8/28/2017 & rated 90 points: A rich and honeyed Chardonnay that should be drunk now. Light gold in color, full in body, nose of beeswax and saline. Tastes of pear, gooseberry, and almond, with an oily finish. 13.5% alcohol. I loved the Bee Block and Neely's from this vintage, but this wine is in a different league (in a bad way) - it just seems flat. (2153 views) | | | Tasted by brianofthevine on 12/31/2016 & rated 91 points: Similar to before with green apple, lemon, peach, and nectarine. Richer style with some crisp some mineral notes and nice finish. (1928 views) | | | Tasted by ozziewine on 9/15/2016 & rated 83 points: As DRDAN8 wrote in October of last year, this version of Varner Chardonnay does not measure up to the 2013 Bee Block and Neely Hollys Cuvee. I've had both those and I scored them a 97 and 93 respectively.
The Amphitheater was monolithic and a tad harsh tasting, and hot. I tried this on two different occasions, one PnP and one with 2-3 hours of air...one chilled one room temp...there was no discernible difference no matter what I did.
I respect what the Varner's do so I don't like to knock their effort...particularly when other CT reviewers write so glowingly of this. So I'll write this one off to a bad bottle.
Though that may have been the case, for me, the Bee Block and Neely Hollys (haven't had the Home Block yet) are so enjoyable that I'll stick with them and avoid the Amphitheater...but be advised, the 2014 vintage is the last for the Varner's from Spring Ridge as their agreement with the vineyard owner has ended. (2304 views) | | | Tasted by brianofthevine on 12/15/2015 & rated 91 points: Green apple, lemon, peach , and nectarine. Very rich with a big presence of oak, not what I'm normally used to with Varner wines, certainly more than the Home or Bee Block for this vintage. Still crisp some mineral notes and nice finish. (2964 views) | | | Tasted by drdan8 on 10/17/2015 & rated 89 points: This is a quality CA Chardonnay but proved to be a slight letdown from the Bee Block and Neely Hollys cuvée. Both of those wines exhibited a great balance of ripe orchard fruit, ginger, honeysuckle, and acidity. The Amphitheater just felt a little lacking compared to those wines. (3007 views) | | | Tasted by pdemaio on 10/5/2015 & rated 94 points: Crisp and clean. Light but noticeable fruit balances great acid. Good finish.
PDQ93+ (2542 views) | | | Tasted by mmcdds on 9/13/2015 & rated 89 points: Opened the El Camino Vineyard along side the Amphitheater Block and the green fruit, citrus and minerality were similar in both, but the oak treatment on the Amphitheater Block was much heavier. To my tastes, I prefer the El Camino rendering much more. It's cleaner, crisper and truer to the fruit. That being said, both were quite nice, but the El Camino bottling, in my opinion, has a far, far better qpr. It kind of reminds me of white burgundy. (2249 views) | | | Tasted by ledocq on 9/7/2015 & rated 93 points: Strange experience: there were moments when my tastebuds wondered if I was drinking anything at all, and yet it wasn't subtle or thin. I get what the smarter people say about it having a definitive structure. It's sort of what I've always hoped for when opening a California chardonnay. Very long finish. Had it with salmon, which was ideal. (2736 views) | | | Tasted by DollarMenunaire on 8/10/2015: Probably the best young California white I can remember drinking. It unfurls in a way that only wines of the highest pedigree can do. The length drives home the quality of the experience on the palate in case you're left with any doubt. This bottling has a firmer mineral core than the other two bottlings in my opinion, and perhaps half a shade less flamboyant with the floral tones. My only question is in regard to how this wine will age. It's different than Varner's Chardonnay neighbors like Mount Eden or Ridge that are more muted in their youth but have proven longevity. This wine certainly has the structure and extract to age, but it is already more open and complete. (1749 views) | | | Tasted by Ben Christiansen on 7/20/2015: I just don't know what to say. It's lean yet almost stuffed to the bursting point with power. The finish is at least 60 seconds long and still shows no signs of dissipating. To lay down. Extremely amazing. And this is on day two. Used a burgundy glass last night and that helped the wine much more than a regular small bowl glass. (1798 views) | | | Tasted by rjonwine@gmail.com on 6/26/2015 & rated 89 points: Light medium yellow color; lifted, tart lemon, reduction nose; tart lemon, mineral palate with near medium acidity; medium-plus finish (13.5% alcohol) 89+ points (854 views) | | | Tasted by MattMauldin on 3/21/2015: IPOB in SF 3/16 - Quick Impressions: Opens with limestone mineral, seashell and lemon zest, then pops on the palate with clove, more mineral and stone fruit. Rich depth. Excellent. (2507 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, Santa Cruz Mountains: Scaling the Heights (Jul 2015) (7/1/2015)
(Varner Chardonnay Amphitheater Block Central Coast) Subscribe to see review text. | By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (6/26/2015)
(Varner Chardonnay Spring Ridge Vineyard Amphitheater Block) Light medium yellow color; lifted, tart lemon, reduction nose; tart lemon, mineral palate with near medium acidity; medium-plus finish (13.5% alcohol) 89+ points 89 points |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Vinous and RJonWine.com. (manage subscription channels) |
| Varner Producer websiteChardonnay The Chardonnay GrapeUSAAmerican 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. |
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