Butter, caramel, banna, tropical fruit and vanilla. Palate exhibits round and ripe tropical fruit with fatness. The acidity level is moderate for its age.
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Popped and poured. This is a magical wine. Beautiful nose of white flowers and orchard fruit. The palate is rich, enveloping, layered and poise. White peach, apples, a little tropical fruit, minerals and toast. Full bodied and long. This has aged well. Fully mature now. I would drink up soon.
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Lemon peel, crushed stone, sweet herbs on the nose. Showing little signs of aging, this wine is still wonderfully fresh. Peaches and roasted nuts on the palate.
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definitely oxidized nose with a little acetone, and some savory notes under the sweetness. After some aeration, this seemed leaner, a little more alcoholic, and somewhat bitter on the palate. Sweet, buttery notes showed up after about 30 minutes. Still very much alive.
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I have been concerned about the aging potential of these beauties due to several bottles that, after about year 7-8, tasted maderized. I don't think they were all from the same vintage, so I hadn't chalked it up to bottle variation. Regardless, all I know is this wine is drinking beautifully right now. I think I can taste the hint of what I did before but it's not troublesome at all right now. I wouldn't hold another five years, but I would drink with confidence for the next year or two.
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Consistently one of the best California Chardonnay’s I have had. This is still at a beautiful stage. Lovely nose of white flowers, orchard fruit and a touch of smoke. The palate is nicely balanced but full bodied and generous with flavors of peach, lime peel, a little tropical fruit and crushed rocks. There are layers of flavor here and the wine exudes sophistication. I would drink up as you never know when this starts to deteriorate.
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Straw yellow. Big, ripe, opulent style. Rich honeyed apricot and nectarine fruit. Well cellared since purchasing direct from winery, but some almond/nut notes on finish concern me a bit that some oxidative elements are creeping in.
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Not as good as the last bottle I had but still a pretty good quality chardonnay. Nice floral nose opens to a medium bodied fully mature palate. Sweet orchard fruit, minerals and toast predominate on the palate and this end with a long satisfying finish. My only complaint is the oak seemed a little elevated in this wine compared to what I remembered
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This is still fairly youthful and a very big chardonnay with lots of structure. This needs about a 45 minute decant to be at its best. The nose is lovely white apricot and flowers. The palate shows tremendous concentration with verve with flavors of pear, apple, tropical fruits and minerals framed in well integrated cloak of oak. Long finish. My only concern here was there was a little heaviness to the wine. Should continue to evolve for a few more years.
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Light golden coloured. First a bit shy with only some citrus but intense flinty notes yet. With time in the glass or from the partly emptied bottle, that depends how patient you can be, it gains in complexity as well as in intensity. It is nearly dominated by its minerality with its flint, slate and crushed stone notes from the volcanic soils. But there are underlying fruity components as well as citrus, apricot and peach blossoms, and apple skin smells from the emptied glas and toasty yeasty components like white bread, brioche. In fact the long finish ends on the fruity notes. Concentrated but light on its feet, first one can be a bit disappointed if one has expected a monster of wine with intense fruit components. It is really much like a Batârd Montrachet from Leflaive for example and it gets his points first of all for its complexity and poise. Galloni rated it as high as 98+ points in 2011 for the WA and as low as 95 points for Vinous in 2013. This is typical because if you don't get it in its first year after bottling it seems to be best at 6-8 years after bottling and in the following years. For me it is one of the best chardonnays I ever had including all this Ramonets and Leflaives etc. If it had a bit more punch I couldn't give it less than 100 points, but well, maybe in the other vintages sleeping in my cellar. Nevertheless it is extraordinary anyway and maybe Galloni would confirm his initial score if he would have this wine today. 98 points TWA and 95 points Vinous. 5/14/19/10, -2030+ in a cool cellar.
After ca. 6 hours it became different. Getting a bit tired and loosing significant parts of its mineral scents and flavors. The used new oak is coming trough then. So decantation is not a good idea, I believe.
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This is up there as one of the best Cali chardonnays I have had recently. What distinguishes it are it’s balance and lightness of being. The nose is a pretty floral lilies and lemon oil. The palate is concentrated crystalline and focused for a Cali chardonnay with flavors of apple, pears, touch of kiwi, minerals. The body is graceful but the finish retains power and length. Still has three to five years of further aging ahead.
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Dark Golden color; turning to amber... Very soft; ultra-ripe and almost sweet on the palate. Close to being "over the top". Borderline tired...Probably needs to be drunk up "Un vino da meditazione" It was overwhelmed by the Chinese food we had at "Q"
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lemon yellow - oaky nose with abundant fruit of white peaches, ripe apples and caramel - big fruit carries over into the mouth with a full rich body and very nice acid balance - long smooth finish - doesn't taste alcoholic despite 14.1% EtOH - a huge fruit-rich chardonnay which initially tasted over-extracted and overly oaked, but actually was fuller, richer and more focused 24h later - will reserve judgement until waiting 1-2 h after decanting before drinking the next bottle
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Good, not great. I can't put my finger on it, just that it was missing that extra gear. Very well made and complete, with a beautiful golden color. Seemed more elegant than I remember other bottles being. Had two bottles pre-dinner and both were spitting images of each other. No sign of fading.
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Golden yellow color. Floral sweet nose. Apple, pear, meyer lemon slight oak spice at the end. This is a large scaled wine but perfectly balanced. Drinking very well now.
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Close to over the top. This is incredibly concentrated, oaky and lacks elegance. On the other hand, there is a purity of fruit in the lemon, lime and apple notes, fat, juicy textures and a lush, vanilla drenched finish. More impressive than fun to drink.
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There's good balance of fruit and acidity in this behemoth. Per G it is probably fresher at this age than the "regular" 2009 Kongsgaard chardonnay. Oaky, viscous, concentrated and obviously California in style, it's clearly a success and avoids the excess of butter and sugar that plagues some less well made chardonnays that strive for home runs. That said, I still question whether the high tariff is justified.
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not spectacular but elegant and Aubertish - fully mature, I would not wait longer, at peak - light but seamless with everything in balance - my best Kongsgaard yet - perfect with molecular cuisine at Commonwealth - 96
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Tasted at Wine Advocat event - A matter of taste. Medium yellow. Expressive and complex nose of vanilla, oak with lots of white fruit, nuts and other aroma. Multidimensional on the palate as well combining freshness and aromatics. Hefty price tag though.
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Probably the best Chardonnay in all of California. In all of the US. This is amazing. Richness, flavorful, crisp and balanced. This will get better over time. 95+
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Yowza. Blew away both bottles of 2008 Judge we've had. This is a beautiful, luxurious wine that has a serious side but it's hard to notice with all the fun, tropical fruit. Possibly the fastest wine ever drunk between The Wife and I. Gorgeous ripe pineapple and banana (Monstroso fruit?) with beautiful salinity and minerality. It paired well with most foods - especially a cumin, tomato, Midnight Moon amuse bouche as well as a roasted golden beet/wild rice side. I will covet our other bottle. (The wife's review was "Yum!".)
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Wow. Amazing. Crisp with third and fourth dimension flavors. Plenty of summer fruits on this but also a hint of butter and slightly nutty. But then also some minerality to go with the rest. Good long finish. This is superb and in a great place right now.
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We took this to Herons for our anniversary. This wine was amazing ... completely different than any Chardonnay we have tasted from Napa. The power in this wine is one of a kind. Fruit, oak, minerality (like in some wines from Burgundy). I would say we probably opened the bottle too early so we are going to look for an older vintage and see how the wine evolves.
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Very good; very young. Full-bodied, broad across the palate, slightly salty, then creamy, popcorn, nutty and toasty, lemon-orange creamsicle fruit. Will benefit from bottle age.
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Tried second day after 24 hours open in bottle. Medium golden color Honeyed nose, Carmel green apple, lemon zest, some mine reality. Pure silk on the palate, less oak driven than last night, creme brulee, medium acidity, white flowers, passion fruit. Long finish Probably could use 3-5 years on its side 93+
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I have been a bid fan of Kongsgaard The Judge and have loved the '03, '04 and the '05 vintages. The 2007 and the 2009, both quaffed last weekend, tasted over-oxidized. Both bottles were not decanted before being consumed. They had a funny after-taste and a bit of a burn on the palate that neither my wife nor I expected. As fans, they were a big disappointment.
CT Texas IV - A Hill Country Treat; 5/18/2012-5/19/2012 (Austin, Texas): I got the pleasure of catching this later in the evening as well as at the beginning. After being open for three hours, this was signing with a nose of sea air, lemon zest, oyster shell, apples, a floral note, and pear. On the palate, white peach, meyer lemon, pear, and a great saline quality I find in higher end Chablis. Finishes long with vibrant acidity. The only nit pick I have is that there is noticeable alcohol at room temp.
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15+ years 95+ RP Bordeaux dinner at Ruth’s Chris, Tysons (Ruth’s Chris, Tysons Corner, VA): Dominant honeysuckle note upon opening. Seashell, quite mineral, bright acidity as well as jalapeno. The palate is clean, mineral, although nowhere near the Auberts, and oily and displays bright acidity. This is somewhat restrained style and especially at the moment. With time, the fruit becomes slightly more expressive, white peaches and pears. It shows a bit more balance. It is interesting to compare against the very expressive 07 which displays more ripe tropical fruits. The alcohol is noticeable for me despite the dense fruits. Impressive wine but my sensitivity to alcohol makes the wine less enjoyable. If one enjoys Kongsgaard style, the rating would be at least 2 points higher I imagine.
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2/25/2023 - Burgnick Likes this wine: 91 Points
Butter, caramel, banna, tropical fruit and vanilla. Palate exhibits round and ripe tropical fruit with fatness. The acidity level is moderate for its age.
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10/6/2022 - danseng wrote: 80 Points
Unfortunately I got an oxidized bottle. Tastes more like a Lopez de Heredia Reserva Blanco than a Napa Chard. So disappointed.
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4/3/2022 - mclanew Likes this wine: 96 Points
Popped and poured. This is a magical wine. Beautiful nose of white flowers and orchard fruit. The palate is rich, enveloping, layered and poise. White peach, apples, a little tropical fruit, minerals and toast. Full bodied and long. This has aged well. Fully mature now. I would drink up soon.
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12/26/2021 - PatrickO33 wrote: 93 Points
Lemon peel, crushed stone, sweet herbs on the nose. Showing little signs of aging, this wine is still wonderfully fresh. Peaches and roasted nuts on the palate.
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3/10/2021 - Peech wrote: 91 Points
definitely oxidized nose with a little acetone, and some savory notes under the sweetness. After some aeration, this seemed leaner, a little more alcoholic, and somewhat bitter on the palate. Sweet, buttery notes showed up after about 30 minutes. Still very much alive.
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12/27/2020 - nvandyk wrote: 98 Points
I have been concerned about the aging potential of these beauties due to several bottles that, after about year 7-8, tasted maderized. I don't think they were all from the same vintage, so I hadn't chalked it up to bottle variation. Regardless, all I know is this wine is drinking beautifully right now. I think I can taste the hint of what I did before but it's not troublesome at all right now. I wouldn't hold another five years, but I would drink with confidence for the next year or two.
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12/8/2020 - mclanew Likes this wine: 96 Points
Consistently one of the best California Chardonnay’s I have had. This is still at a beautiful stage. Lovely nose of white flowers, orchard fruit and a touch of smoke. The palate is nicely balanced but full bodied and generous with flavors of peach, lime peel, a little tropical fruit and crushed rocks. There are layers of flavor here and the wine exudes sophistication. I would drink up as you never know when this starts to deteriorate.
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5/9/2020 - dafmd Likes this wine: 94 Points
Opened 60 min prior; golden straw; floral and apple/pear notes; medium bodied to almost mouth filling; some mineral, toast, spice, very enjoyable.
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9/27/2019 - mjf@ulkner wrote: 90 Points
Straw yellow. Big, ripe, opulent style. Rich honeyed apricot and nectarine fruit. Well cellared since purchasing direct from winery, but some almond/nut notes on finish concern me a bit that some oxidative elements are creeping in.
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9/25/2019 - mclanew wrote: 93 Points
Not as good as the last bottle I had but still a pretty good quality chardonnay. Nice floral nose opens to a medium bodied fully mature palate. Sweet orchard fruit, minerals and toast predominate on the palate and this end with a long satisfying finish. My only complaint is the oak seemed a little elevated in this wine compared to what I remembered
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3/9/2019 - mclanew Likes this wine: 95 Points
This is still fairly youthful and a very big chardonnay with lots of structure. This needs about a 45 minute decant to be at its best. The nose is lovely white apricot and flowers. The palate shows tremendous concentration with verve with flavors of pear, apple, tropical fruits and minerals framed in well integrated cloak of oak. Long finish. My only concern here was there was a little heaviness to the wine. Should continue to evolve for a few more years.
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1/12/2019 - Caruso Likes this wine: 98 Points
Light golden coloured. First a bit shy with only some citrus but intense flinty notes yet. With time in the glass or from the partly emptied bottle, that depends how patient you can be, it gains in complexity as well as in intensity. It is nearly dominated by its minerality with its flint, slate and crushed stone notes from the volcanic soils. But there are underlying fruity components as well as citrus, apricot and peach blossoms, and apple skin smells from the emptied glas and toasty yeasty components like white bread, brioche. In fact the long finish ends on the fruity notes. Concentrated but light on its feet, first one can be a bit disappointed if one has expected a monster of wine with intense fruit components. It is really much like a Batârd Montrachet from Leflaive for example and it gets his points first of all for its complexity and poise. Galloni rated it as high as 98+ points in 2011 for the WA and as low as 95 points for Vinous in 2013. This is typical because if you don't get it in its first year after bottling it seems to be best at 6-8 years after bottling and in the following years. For me it is one of the best chardonnays I ever had including all this Ramonets and Leflaives etc. If it had a bit more punch I couldn't give it less than 100 points, but well, maybe in the other vintages sleeping in my cellar. Nevertheless it is extraordinary anyway and maybe Galloni would confirm his initial score if he would have this wine today. 98 points TWA and 95 points Vinous. 5/14/19/10, -2030+ in a cool cellar.
After ca. 6 hours it became different. Getting a bit tired and loosing significant parts of its mineral scents and flavors. The used new oak is coming trough then. So decantation is not a good idea, I believe.
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8/29/2018 - hshdream wrote:
I drank this wine in "The Kitchen" Macau.
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8/1/2018 - mclanew Likes this wine: 96 Points
This is up there as one of the best Cali chardonnays I have had recently. What distinguishes it are it’s balance and lightness of being. The nose is a pretty floral lilies and lemon oil. The palate is concentrated crystalline and focused for a Cali chardonnay with flavors of apple, pears, touch of kiwi, minerals. The body is graceful but the finish retains power and length. Still has three to five years of further aging ahead.
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12/29/2017 - Bandreas wrote:
Dark Golden color; turning to amber...
Very soft; ultra-ripe and almost sweet on the palate. Close to being "over the top". Borderline tired...Probably needs to be drunk up
"Un vino da meditazione" It was overwhelmed by the Chinese food we had at "Q"
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11/11/2017 - Verb wrote: 92 Points
lemon yellow - oaky nose with abundant fruit of white peaches, ripe apples and caramel - big fruit carries over into the mouth with a full rich body and very nice acid balance - long smooth finish - doesn't taste alcoholic despite 14.1% EtOH - a huge fruit-rich chardonnay which initially tasted over-extracted and overly oaked, but actually was fuller, richer and more focused 24h later - will reserve judgement until waiting 1-2 h after decanting before drinking the next bottle
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10/31/2017 - jclary Likes this wine: 94 Points
Good, not great. I can't put my finger on it, just that it was missing that extra gear. Very well made and complete, with a beautiful golden color. Seemed more elegant than I remember other bottles being. Had two bottles pre-dinner and both were spitting images of each other. No sign of fading.
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5/14/2016 - wine65 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Golden yellow color. Floral sweet nose. Apple, pear, meyer lemon slight oak spice at the end. This is a large scaled wine but perfectly balanced. Drinking very well now.
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5/13/2016 - Jeff Leve wrote: 93 Points
Close to over the top. This is incredibly concentrated, oaky and lacks elegance. On the other hand, there is a purity of fruit in the lemon, lime and apple notes, fat, juicy textures and a lush, vanilla drenched finish. More impressive than fun to drink.
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3/24/2016 - sdr Likes this wine: 93 Points
There's good balance of fruit and acidity in this behemoth. Per G it is probably fresher at this age than the "regular" 2009 Kongsgaard chardonnay. Oaky, viscous, concentrated and obviously California in style, it's clearly a success and avoids the excess of butter and sugar that plagues some less well made chardonnays that strive for home runs. That said, I still question whether the high tariff is justified.
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2/8/2015 - gotwine Likes this wine:
not spectacular but elegant and Aubertish - fully mature, I would not wait longer, at peak - light but seamless with everything in balance - my best Kongsgaard yet - perfect with molecular cuisine at Commonwealth - 96
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1/13/2015 - Dnathanson Likes this wine: 94 Points
Bee's wax, pear rind, honeysuckle. Elegant from top to bottom.
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12/20/2014 - SYR wrote: 95 Points
Stunning. Shocked me on the first sip. Beautiful wine.
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11/16/2014 - Collector1855 wrote: 95 Points
Tasted at Wine Advocat event - A matter of taste. Medium yellow. Expressive and complex nose of vanilla, oak with lots of white fruit, nuts and other aroma. Multidimensional on the palate as well combining freshness and aromatics. Hefty price tag though.
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10/23/2014 - Kemo Sabe wrote: 95 Points
Probably the best Chardonnay in all of California. In all of the US. This is amazing. Richness, flavorful, crisp and balanced. This will get better over time. 95+
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10/14/2014 - GrandeSerataFuori wrote: 93 Points
Yowza. Blew away both bottles of 2008 Judge we've had. This is a beautiful, luxurious wine that has a serious side but it's hard to notice with all the fun, tropical fruit. Possibly the fastest wine ever drunk between The Wife and I. Gorgeous ripe pineapple and banana (Monstroso fruit?) with beautiful salinity and minerality. It paired well with most foods - especially a cumin, tomato, Midnight Moon amuse bouche as well as a roasted golden beet/wild rice side. I will covet our other bottle. (The wife's review was "Yum!".)
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5/4/2014 - Kemo Sabe Likes this wine: 95 Points
Wow. Amazing. Crisp with third and fourth dimension flavors. Plenty of summer fruits on this but also a hint of butter and slightly nutty. But then also some minerality to go with the rest. Good long finish. This is superb and in a great place right now.
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1/19/2014 - dcwino wrote: 96 Points
Marks duckhouse – Beaucastel VV, Le Pavillon & a lot of domestic wines (Marks duckhouse, Falls Church, Va): Butter popcorn, banana, pineapple, papaya and a hint of heat. Excellent concentration, bright acidity, excellent mineral expression and a bit of heat. Big hedonistic style of chardonnay that keeps a good definition.
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12/9/2013 - cepageyakima wrote:
Bottle was corked...Very disappointed
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5/1/2013 - mariorod Likes this wine: 95 Points
We took this to Herons for our anniversary. This wine was amazing ... completely different than any Chardonnay we have tasted from Napa. The power in this wine is one of a kind. Fruit, oak, minerality (like in some wines from Burgundy). I would say we probably opened the bottle too early so we are going to look for an older vintage and see how the wine evolves.
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11/22/2012 - Giggs wrote: 93 Points
Very good; very young. Full-bodied, broad across the palate, slightly salty, then creamy, popcorn, nutty and toasty, lemon-orange creamsicle fruit. Will benefit from bottle age.
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10/7/2012 - cadams wrote: 93 Points
Tried second day after 24 hours open in bottle.
Medium golden color
Honeyed nose, Carmel green apple, lemon zest, some mine reality.
Pure silk on the palate, less oak driven than last night, creme brulee, medium acidity, white flowers, passion fruit.
Long finish
Probably could use 3-5 years on its side
93+
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10/6/2012 - IWineAlot wrote: 89 Points
CT Offline WI Take 2: Judgement of Madison(Paris) Tasting & BYOB Dinner (Madison, WI): Very tight nose on this, I noted some butter coming through with a little apple scent.
Hazelnut, lemon are apparent in the mouth. Clean on the palate, with decent acidity.
Just didn't have the depth or complexity I was looking for.
SS 89pts.
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10/6/2012 - petitblanc wrote:
CT Wisconsin Offline 2; 10/5/2012-10/6/2012 (Madison, WI): Slightly cloudy, medium yellow color. Faint mothball notes, generally muted, possibly flawed. Not scored.
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6/25/2012 - Mondial wrote: 85 Points
I have been a bid fan of Kongsgaard The Judge and have loved the '03, '04 and the '05 vintages. The 2007 and the 2009, both quaffed last weekend, tasted over-oxidized. Both bottles were not decanted before being consumed. They had a funny after-taste and a bit of a burn on the palate that neither my wife nor I expected. As fans, they were a big disappointment.
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5/19/2012 - ckinv368 wrote: 92 Points
CT Offline IV--Hill Country Edition; 5/18/2012-5/19/2012 (Austin / Texas Hill Country / Castleman Ranch): Spicy on the front of the palate for sure! Crazy spicy! Sweet and lovely!
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5/19/2012 - GalvezGuy wrote: 94 Points
CT Texas IV - A Hill Country Treat; 5/18/2012-5/19/2012 (Austin, Texas): I got the pleasure of catching this later in the evening as well as at the beginning. After being open for three hours, this was signing with a nose of sea air, lemon zest, oyster shell, apples, a floral note, and pear. On the palate, white peach, meyer lemon, pear, and a great saline quality I find in higher end Chablis. Finishes long with vibrant acidity. The only nit pick I have is that there is noticeable alcohol at room temp.
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2/26/2012 - dcwino wrote: 93 Points
15+ years 95+ RP Bordeaux dinner at Ruth’s Chris, Tysons (Ruth’s Chris, Tysons Corner, VA): Dominant honeysuckle note upon opening. Seashell, quite mineral, bright acidity as well as jalapeno. The palate is clean, mineral, although nowhere near the Auberts, and oily and displays bright acidity. This is somewhat restrained style and especially at the moment. With time, the fruit becomes slightly more expressive, white peaches and pears. It shows a bit more balance. It is interesting to compare against the very expressive 07 which displays more ripe tropical fruits. The alcohol is noticeable for me despite the dense fruits. Impressive wine but my sensitivity to alcohol makes the wine less enjoyable. If one enjoys Kongsgaard style, the rating would be at least 2 points higher I imagine.
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