This Chardonnay has turned a beautiful gold color now, and I am seeing a change in its taste, much like classic burgundy. Deeper and more complex while shedding some of it's tropical fruit notes. Clearly in a secondary tasting experience and quite enjoyable
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First tasting note in a long while, but this wine was deserving of it - Deep gold, scent of vanilla and caramel, creme brulee, butterscotch and toffee, silky smooth on the palate with extraordinary length, absolute stunner, the slight touch of heat on the finish is the only thing that keeps this from scoring even higher, still seems to have a lot of life, but perhaps the pronounced heat is indicating otherwise, can't imagine this getting much better, or evolving to any benefit, so recommendation is to drink up, enjoy (96 Points).
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Served chilled. Bouquet of tropical fruit, melon, fig, lemon zest, vanilla bean and barrel spice. The palate mirrors the nose and leads to a long, rich, creamy finish. Good acidic balance. Paired with sea bass.
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Drank this next to a 07 Aubert Chardonnay and it held it's own. This was more restrained compared to the Aubert (if you could believe that). If you drank this next to practically anything else I'm sure people would be saying the other Chardonnay was restrained. All in context I guess. Aromas of honeysuckle, marshmallow and lemon meringue. There was no heat on this wine and had enjoyable flavors of papaya, star fruit, marshmallow and lime. Ended with a nice long finish. Interesting having these two side by side.
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Served at cellar temperature. Nose of apple, pear, honeydew melon, fig, lemon peel, spice and butterscotch. Apple, tropical fruit, fig, melon, lemon, spice and toast are dominant on the palate. Leads to a long, crisp finish with balanced acidity. A very nice Cali chard that is in a good spot. Paired with chicken and biscuits.
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Beautiful wine; nice acidity but also generous apple, pear notes. This normally has some pie crust or brioche to it but isn't there (at least not yet).
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EYE: rich golden straw. NOSE: citrus (meyer lemons), some flowers and prominent vanilla. PALATE: toasted oak, vanilla and rich butter counter-balanced with taut citrus, melon notes., M acidity and M+ alc. L finish winds up in rich oak and fig, a nice denouement to the citrus palate. OVERALL: a very fine execution of buttery, oaky CA chard with a lot of depth & complexity. Likely could continue to age for 2-4yrs
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Served slightly below cellar temperature. Pretty nose of honeydew melon, fig, pear, apple, lemon zest, tropical fruit, spice and butter. Melon, fig, citrus and oaky tannins lead to a long, crisp finish. Well balanced. Paired with steamed clams and grilled shrimp.
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Beautiful big California Chardonnay with plenty of buttery oak but also excellent acidity and very good stoney mineral component. Pineapple and some other tropical fruit help fill in the taste profile. Still very young so decant or better yet save the bottle for a few more years.
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The color is a rich, golden yellow. The nose is citrus, mostly lemons, slightly floral, and with evident vanilla. On the palate, WOW, this is a big, oaky, viscous wine! There's balance, with the citrus elements holding their own, but the dominant themes are toasted oak and vanilla. I fell in love with Pahlmeyer's Jayson Chard. last year. This wine is an even bigger expression of the same ideas. Mind blowing, chewy, and opulent. If Haagen Dazs made wine, it might taste something like this! Probably not to everyone's tastes, but if you like this style this is an excellent wine!
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This borders the line of both new world and old, with citrus and tropical fruits along with butter and warm toasty oak but then it is balanced by gorgeous fresh minerality and live acidity keeping it fresh. (Drink 2012-2017)
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Tasted last night at a Pahlmeyer tasting at restaurant Bonterra in Charlotte put on by the Wine Vault. Really an excellent very young and full bodied Napa cab from a premier producer with definite aging potential. I highly recommend this with the caveat that I think it will benefit from a year or two of cellaring but too expensive to be a reasonable QPR wine despite the outstanding quality. Already reasonably well balanced with a round warm oaky and buttery profile but with a little age I do expect this wine to soften a bit and fruit to become a bit more prominent. Dark yellow, full bodied with a delicious mouth feel and a nice long aftertaste. Nose of oak, yellow apple and a hint of vanilla with a flavor profile of underlying oak superimposed with rich acid, pineapple, red and yellow apple and a hint of lemon.
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Warm up wine on Easter Sunday. This chard, i.e. the Napa bottling from Pahlmeyer, has become much more elegant over the last several years but still has telltale richness. Pineapple apple and lemon notes on the nose and palate with lovely rich mouthfeel. Really fresh acidity keeps this nicely balanced.
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Drank while playing golf at the Yountville Vintner's Club. Lovely burst on the nose of lemon, marshmallow, and toffee. Medium to full bodied with a great mouthfeel but the acidity is really nice adding some lovely elegance to the wine. Oak is nicely integrated and overall the wine is in balance.
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4/29/2020 - scelfo Likes this wine:
4.2/5
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3/9/2017 - mactheknife wrote: 93 Points
This Chardonnay has turned a beautiful gold color now, and I am seeing a change in its taste, much like classic burgundy. Deeper and more complex while shedding some of it's tropical fruit notes. Clearly in a secondary tasting experience and quite enjoyable
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12/31/2016 - Tarrant wrote: 96 Points
First tasting note in a long while, but this wine was deserving of it - Deep gold, scent of vanilla and caramel, creme brulee, butterscotch and toffee, silky smooth on the palate with extraordinary length, absolute stunner, the slight touch of heat on the finish is the only thing that keeps this from scoring even higher, still seems to have a lot of life, but perhaps the pronounced heat is indicating otherwise, can't imagine this getting much better, or evolving to any benefit, so recommendation is to drink up, enjoy (96 Points).
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4/10/2016 - Snowryeder Likes this wine: 94 Points
This is a gorgeous wine. Lemon, pear, butter and vanilla. Nice acidity. Long finish. I am sorry it is my last bottle.
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8/18/2014 - hoservin wrote: 92 Points
Served chilled. Bouquet of tropical fruit, melon, fig, lemon zest, vanilla bean and barrel spice. The palate mirrors the nose and leads to a long, rich, creamy finish. Good acidic balance. Paired with sea bass.
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6/21/2014 - slywka7 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Drank this next to a 07 Aubert Chardonnay and it held it's own. This was more restrained compared to the Aubert (if you could believe that). If you drank this next to practically anything else I'm sure people would be saying the other Chardonnay was restrained. All in context I guess. Aromas of honeysuckle, marshmallow and lemon meringue. There was no heat on this wine and had enjoyable flavors of papaya, star fruit, marshmallow and lime. Ended with a nice long finish. Interesting having these two side by side.
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2/16/2014 - hoservin wrote: 93 Points
Served at cellar temperature. Nose of apple, pear, honeydew melon, fig, lemon peel, spice and butterscotch. Apple, tropical fruit, fig, melon, lemon, spice and toast are dominant on the palate. Leads to a long, crisp finish with balanced acidity. A very nice Cali chard that is in a good spot. Paired with chicken and biscuits.
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12/12/2013 - mactheknife wrote: 93 Points
Beautiful wine; nice acidity but also generous apple, pear notes. This normally has some pie crust or brioche to it but isn't there (at least not yet).
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11/28/2013 - BLSausTX Likes this wine: 93 Points
EYE: rich golden straw. NOSE: citrus (meyer lemons), some flowers and prominent vanilla. PALATE: toasted oak, vanilla and rich butter counter-balanced with taut citrus, melon notes., M acidity and M+ alc. L finish winds up in rich oak and fig, a nice denouement to the citrus palate. OVERALL: a very fine execution of buttery, oaky CA chard with a lot of depth & complexity. Likely could continue to age for 2-4yrs
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7/4/2013 - hoservin wrote: 93 Points
Served slightly below cellar temperature. Pretty nose of honeydew melon, fig, pear, apple, lemon zest, tropical fruit, spice and butter. Melon, fig, citrus and oaky tannins lead to a long, crisp finish. Well balanced. Paired with steamed clams and grilled shrimp.
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6/7/2013 - fdub Likes this wine: 94 Points
Drank to celebrate the birth of our first child!
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12/17/2012 - D.Callahan Likes this wine: 91 Points
Beautiful big California Chardonnay with plenty of buttery oak but also excellent acidity and very good stoney mineral component. Pineapple and some other tropical fruit help fill in the taste profile. Still very young so decant or better yet save the bottle for a few more years.
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11/4/2012 - Rcorrao wrote: 93 Points
Big rich buttery chardonnay - fantastic.
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10/20/2012 - DStyner Likes this wine: 91 Points
The color is a rich, golden yellow. The nose is citrus, mostly lemons, slightly floral, and with evident vanilla. On the palate, WOW, this is a big, oaky, viscous wine! There's balance, with the citrus elements holding their own, but the dominant themes are toasted oak and vanilla. I fell in love with Pahlmeyer's Jayson Chard. last year. This wine is an even bigger expression of the same ideas. Mind blowing, chewy, and opulent. If Haagen Dazs made wine, it might taste something like this! Probably not to everyone's tastes, but if you like this style this is an excellent wine!
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8/19/2012 - Wine4Rip wrote: 95 Points
Continue to love this wine.
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8/12/2012 - InternationalWineReport wrote: 93 Points
This borders the line of both new world and old, with citrus and tropical fruits along with butter and warm toasty oak but then it is balanced by gorgeous fresh minerality and live acidity keeping it fresh. (Drink 2012-2017)
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5/17/2012 - ikkaariainen wrote: 91 Points
Tasted last night at a Pahlmeyer tasting at restaurant Bonterra in Charlotte put on by the Wine Vault. Really an excellent very young and full bodied Napa cab from a premier producer with definite aging potential. I highly recommend this with the caveat that I think it will benefit from a year or two of cellaring but too expensive to be a reasonable QPR wine despite the outstanding quality. Already reasonably well balanced with a round warm oaky and buttery profile but with a little age I do expect this wine to soften a bit and fruit to become a bit more prominent. Dark yellow, full bodied with a delicious mouth feel and a nice long aftertaste. Nose of oak, yellow apple and a hint of vanilla with a flavor profile of underlying oak superimposed with rich acid, pineapple, red and yellow apple and a hint of lemon.
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4/25/2012 - fdub wrote: 93 Points
Lovely waxy note, lemon oil and marshmallow on the nose. Lemon palate with great mouth coating richness. Long finish.
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4/11/2012 - Didman wrote: 92 Points
Lovely, fruity Chardonnay with just a touch of oak. Delightful.
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4/8/2012 - fdub wrote: 93 Points
Warm up wine on Easter Sunday. This chard, i.e. the Napa bottling from Pahlmeyer, has become much more elegant over the last several years but still has telltale richness. Pineapple apple and lemon notes on the nose and palate with lovely rich mouthfeel. Really fresh acidity keeps this nicely balanced.
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3/29/2012 - fdub wrote: 93 Points
Drank while playing golf at the Yountville Vintner's Club. Lovely burst on the nose of lemon, marshmallow, and toffee. Medium to full bodied with a great mouthfeel but the acidity is really nice adding some lovely elegance to the wine. Oak is nicely integrated and overall the wine is in balance.
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