Chardonnay - White Burgundy vs the Rest of the World

The rest of the world won, probably because people brought better wines from the rest of the world than from White Burgundy.

• 2013 Mumm Napa Blanc de Blancs Devaux Ranch 90 Points

  USA, California, Napa / Sonoma, Carneros

  This wine had bracing acidity along with some yeasty toast. The acid dominates in a friendly way.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2013 Château Philippe-le-Hardi Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Beaune Clos Philippe-Le-Hardi 83 Points

  France, Burgundy, Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Beaune

  Drank a small pour and then revisited the bottle after about 3 hours. This wine was lean and simple. It was not unpleasant, but did not have a lot of interest to offer.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2014 Domaine / Maison Vincent Girardin Saint-Aubin 1er Cru En Remilly Blanc 90 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Saint-Aubin 1er Cru

  For white burgundy, this had a lot of acidity and minerality. I found this to be enjoyable, but in a perfect world it would have more fruit. I'd like to see this calm down in about 3 years to see what has happened to it.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2013 Domaine du Chateau de Meursault Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières 90 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru

  Drank a small pour at a tasting. There was nice butter and richness to this. There was some weight, but not a whole lot. There was enough fruit to keep it interesting and plenty of minerality. This seemed slightly more mineral-driven than my idea of Meursault, yet it did not taste like Chablis either. I enjoyed this today and would like to try it in 3-4 years.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2014 Maison Leroy Bourgogne Blanc 91 Points

  France, Burgundy, Bourgogne Blanc

  Drank a small glass at a tasting. There is enough golden fruit here, and a bit of acidity. This is a well-structured chardonnay, but it doesn't deliver anything of great interest. Frankly, it's right where I would think this wine is. Absolutely nothing wrong with this, but you are paying a bit for the name. Try again in 2020.
  
  Side note - every Leroy I've ever opened or seen opened had mold on the top of the cork. What's up with that?

  Read 1 Comment / Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2012 Kumeu River Chardonnay Estate 90 Points

  New Zealand, North Island, Auckland, Kumeu

  This wine was very middle of the road stylistically. It was elegant, had some round fruit and a bit of oak, but not too much of either. There is good balance here.

  Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2012 Liquid Farm Chardonnay White Hill 92 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Sta. Rita Hills

  I had this wine 3 years ago, and this bottle was 3 points better. Correlation? There is a fair amount of matchstick and sulfur on the nose, and even a bit on the palate. But the palate is dominated by golden fruit with some minerality. There is good balance here. This was the most interesting wine at the tasting.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2013 Evening Land Vineyards Chardonnay Summum Seven Springs Vineyard 93 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola - Amity Hills

  Rich, ripe, buttery and round, but there is not a lot of oak. The oak here is very well-integrated - it is present but does not dominate at all. I'm surprised that this wine sees 100% new oak for a year, as it does not taste like that.

  Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2013 Kistler Chardonnay Hudson Vineyard 93 Points

  USA, California, Napa / Sonoma, Carneros

  Rich and buttery, but not crazy big. There is an elegance and a richness to this wine. It was well-received at a tasting.

  Post a Comment / 4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2014 SIXTO Chardonnay Uncovered 89 Points

  USA, Washington

  At this stage, the oak dominates this wine. Hold. (or use less oak)

  Read 2 Comments / Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2012 Domaine Duclaux (Famille Quiot) Châteauneuf-du-Pape 84 Points

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

  This wine did not show well after a chardonnay tasting. There was significant anise along with some heat on the finish. It did not seem flawed. I could tease out some of the garrigue, earth and minerality that I've enjoyed in other bottles, but they were quite subdued. It could have been what we were drinking before this (Kistler Hudson, Evening Land Summum), or it could be a bad bottle, or bad time in this wines evolution.

  Read 1 Comment / Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue