Golden yellow with a nose of bruised yellow apples and lemon. Lemon, apple and a touch of a tropical note, but the fruit shades somewhat bitter. Moderately scaled with good acidity. Drink now.
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Pineapple, lemon, apple, minerals, brioche, marzipan. Silky smooth with or without food. Old world style but not as crisp. Still fresh, but I think it's peaked. Drink now if you have it.
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Consistent with prior notes:"French in style Medium/light gold color - great clarity. Citrus, lemon, oak, marzipan on the nose. Palate repeats with vanilla, apples, pear..."
Still holding strong acidity, reasonably balanced but has not mellowed much (from memory). Would drink over next 2-3 years.
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Opened at Anvil for April's birthday. This may have suffered next to the White Burg opened by Allred. Lemon notes with some apple - no oak noticeable this time around. Still a beauty though.
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Opened by tlv during his daughter's birthday dinner and paired with the foie/bone marrow course, served alongside the Girardin.
Notes of apple, lemon and stone- there are definitely similarities to the Girardin. Flavors of orchard fruit and stone, with a long balanced finish. A wonderful wine, but just a notch below the Burg tonight.
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My last bottle of 6. In a great place for those who like some cut (acid). No need to comment more than previous notes from others, except to say drink em now if you like that cut and perfect balance (of course always a matter or opinion) vs waiting too long. Beautiful. Be careful as these impress a wide variety of Chard drinkers and go quick. Bought on release and properly stored.
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Slightly sweeter and less pungent than its Amphitheatre Block sister, with more mass appeal and equal overall quality.
What gives it the edge for the extra point? I wish I knew!
Your humble wine ponce reports perfect precocious balance resulting from vanishing oak, native yeast, and barrel fermentation.
Shiny like gold broth (I would prefer a cloudy unfiltered version).
Zero tropical fruit nonsense - bouquet is austere wet flint and dry sandstone befitting its best Burg brethren.
For the record, it's from the same vineyard but a different block as the Amphitheatre. The differentiation speaks to the skill of the vintner, and as we all [should] know Varner's is among the best in the world.
A sconce of butter, smidgin of toast, and scintillate of acid provide a royal escort for the muscular Queen of Santa Cruz Mountain fruit (Pinot being the effete King).
This is a wine to sip, ponder, and sip again. Only a fool with pair with anything less subtle than plain baguette, raw almond, and samosa with nectarine/quince/golden raisin chutney.
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At our house, dinner with Gary/Danielle, Jimmy/Mary, Rusty/Sharon...
Second wine tasted for the evening. French in style, version of a Calif white burgundy. Medium/light gold color - great clarity. Citrus, lemon, oak, marzipan on the nose. Palate repeats with vanilla, apples, pear. Oak is there bit not overpowering.
Great acidity and fruit, suspect the acidity will balance more with age. I think this is drinking great right now, but will probably improve with age
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USA Cult and Wines of Interest (Sydney, Australia): Smoky oak, lemon, chalk and some estery banana style character on the nose. The palate is well proportioned, though the oak influence is still prominent at this stage of its life. Has the structure to give it good potential to improve.
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Nose: Lemon peel and nag champa incense. Palate: Green apple skins, lemons, and vanilla. Great balance between round fruit and linear acidity. Finish: Medium
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Opened by thelostverse during dinner. Deep color. Aroams of marzipan, poached pear, hazelnut, apple and vanilla. Full-bodied and nicely balanced, with hazelnut, lemon, vanilla, pear and plenty of wood. Give this some time. Hold until 2018+.
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Opened at Anvil with Allred. Score really reflects the bottle after being open for over an hour and warming to above cellar temp. Lemon, vanilla and oak with bracing acidity. This needs time in cellar and will be spectacular.
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non blind and only my second encounter with this winery. lovely clarity in the glass. nose of mineral, acid, lemon. palate is dominated (?to a fault) with acidic fruit and brazen minerality. missing roundness for sure. kept waiting for the balance to appear but it never did. finish was as expected and shorter than should have been. hopeful that this will come around. i am not against non creamy, burgundian style chard, i just think this (or any wine) should have balance, and this didn't.
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Brilliant clarity. Nice aroma, French in style. Excellent palate, though tight and restrained even a day after opening. Nice finish. This really needs time and I'll bet it will age and improve a long time. 5-12-16-7: 90/100.
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Nicely balanced- creamy, yet plenty of nervy acidity. Rich ripe fruit, bit generous minerality. Really nice stuff- a crime that this winery wasn't included in Wine Spectator's recent list of California's best Chardonnays.
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11/1/2021 - CMN wrote:
Golden yellow with a nose of bruised yellow apples and lemon. Lemon, apple and a touch of a tropical note, but the fruit shades somewhat bitter. Moderately scaled with good acidity. Drink now.
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11/2/2019 - Altonplace wrote: flawed
As last commentor noted in August, likely to head downhill. Ours did. Not submitting score as previous bottles outstanding.
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8/30/2019 - Altonplace Likes this wine: 89 Points
Perfectly drinkable but likely to drop off soon.
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5/10/2019 - Altonplace Likes this wine: 90 Points
Wonderful for a chardonnay!
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10/7/2018 - bonedoc wrote:
Yup, oxidized - suspicious last time, confirmed this time.
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8/26/2018 - bonedoc wrote: 90 Points
Couldn’t tell if was my ragweed allergy and a stuffy nose, but this seemed a little oxidized.
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10/11/2017 - scotty_b wrote: 92 Points
Pineapple, lemon, apple, minerals, brioche, marzipan. Silky smooth with or without food. Old world style but not as crisp. Still fresh, but I think it's peaked. Drink now if you have it.
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10/9/2017 - LARich Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drink now. Still wonderful but not much longer.
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5/25/2017 - gmbdds wrote: flawed
Color is just on the brown side of golden. Drinkable and even almost good but definitely oxidized.
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1/10/2017 - Backdoctor wrote: 94 Points
varner has to be the best value in chards out there. Solid wine, drinking well after 6 yrs.
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12/11/2016 - bonedoc wrote:
All 2010's, all very good, around 92/93, similar in style and quality, no clear winner.
#1- Varner amphitheater
#2- Varner home
#3- mt Eden estate
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7/22/2016 - blaiseiii wrote: flawed
Corked
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3/12/2016 - bonedoc wrote: flawed
Corked.
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10/16/2015 - walkerjfw wrote: 91 Points
At home with Valerie. PnP, drank over 3 hours.
Consistent with prior notes:"French in style Medium/light gold color - great clarity. Citrus, lemon, oak, marzipan on the nose. Palate repeats with vanilla, apples, pear..."
Still holding strong acidity, reasonably balanced but has not mellowed much (from memory). Would drink over next 2-3 years.
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4/30/2015 - brianofthevine wrote: 90 Points
Creamy lemon oil, green apple, and citrus, good minerality, nice finish.
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4/12/2015 - gmbdds wrote: 91 Points
Lemon and baked apple notes with pleasant spice complexity on a clean and tight frame.
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9/25/2014 - thelostverse wrote: 93 Points
Opened at Anvil for April's birthday. This may have suffered next to the White Burg opened by Allred. Lemon notes with some apple - no oak noticeable this time around. Still a beauty though.
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9/25/2014 - AllRed wrote: 93 Points
Opened by tlv during his daughter's birthday dinner and paired with the foie/bone marrow course, served alongside the Girardin.
Notes of apple, lemon and stone- there are definitely similarities to the Girardin. Flavors of orchard fruit and stone, with a long balanced finish. A wonderful wine, but just a notch below the Burg tonight.
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7/23/2014 - enjoywine Likes this wine: 93 Points
My last bottle of 6. In a great place for those who like some cut (acid). No need to comment more than previous notes from others, except to say drink em now if you like that cut and perfect balance (of course always a matter or opinion) vs waiting too long. Beautiful. Be careful as these impress a wide variety of Chard drinkers and go quick. Bought on release and properly stored.
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5/13/2014 - FandL Likes this wine: 93 Points
lots of compliments about Varner chardonnays at wedding reception.
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4/23/2014 - NapaWinePonce Likes this wine: 96 Points
Slightly sweeter and less pungent than its Amphitheatre Block sister, with more mass appeal and equal overall quality.
What gives it the edge for the extra point? I wish I knew!
Your humble wine ponce reports perfect precocious balance resulting from vanishing oak, native yeast, and barrel fermentation.
Shiny like gold broth (I would prefer a cloudy unfiltered version).
Zero tropical fruit nonsense - bouquet is austere wet flint and dry sandstone befitting its best Burg brethren.
For the record, it's from the same vineyard but a different block as the Amphitheatre. The differentiation speaks to the skill of the vintner, and as we all [should] know Varner's is among the best in the world.
A sconce of butter, smidgin of toast, and scintillate of acid provide a royal escort for the muscular Queen of Santa Cruz Mountain fruit (Pinot being the effete King).
This is a wine to sip, ponder, and sip again. Only a fool with pair with anything less subtle than plain baguette, raw almond, and samosa with nectarine/quince/golden raisin chutney.
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11/22/2013 - walkerjfw wrote: 92 Points
At our house, dinner with Gary/Danielle, Jimmy/Mary, Rusty/Sharon...
Second wine tasted for the evening. French in style, version of a Calif white burgundy. Medium/light gold color - great clarity. Citrus, lemon, oak, marzipan on the nose. Palate repeats with vanilla, apples, pear. Oak is there bit not overpowering.
Great acidity and fruit, suspect the acidity will balance more with age. I think this is drinking great right now, but will probably improve with age
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10/12/2013 - BMG Wine Likes this wine: 92 Points
Wow.
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3/14/2013 - CamWheeler wrote: 90 Points
USA Cult and Wines of Interest (Sydney, Australia): Smoky oak, lemon, chalk and some estery banana style character on the nose. The palate is well proportioned, though the oak influence is still prominent at this stage of its life. Has the structure to give it good potential to improve.
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1/19/2013 - vinosean Likes this wine: 90 Points
Nose: Lemon peel and nag champa incense.
Palate: Green apple skins, lemons, and vanilla. Great balance between round fruit and linear acidity.
Finish: Medium
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1/17/2013 - AllRed wrote: 93 Points
Opened by thelostverse during dinner. Deep color. Aroams of marzipan, poached pear, hazelnut, apple and vanilla. Full-bodied and nicely balanced, with hazelnut, lemon, vanilla, pear and plenty of wood. Give this some time. Hold until 2018+.
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1/17/2013 - thelostverse wrote: 94 Points
Opened at Anvil with Allred. Score really reflects the bottle after being open for over an hour and warming to above cellar temp. Lemon, vanilla and oak with bracing acidity. This needs time in cellar and will be spectacular.
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12/12/2012 - Backdoctor wrote: 92 Points
Wow, what an acidic monster of a wine. Didnt know what to expect but big acid, citrus, green apple hints. It opened up more. Awesome wine!
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12/10/2012 - jc-mmb Likes this wine: 89 Points
non blind and only my second encounter with this winery. lovely clarity in the glass. nose of mineral, acid, lemon. palate is dominated (?to a fault) with acidic fruit and brazen minerality. missing roundness for sure. kept waiting for the balance to appear but it never did. finish was as expected and shorter than should have been. hopeful that this will come around. i am not against non creamy, burgundian style chard, i just think this (or any wine) should have balance, and this didn't.
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7/20/2012 - MicklethePickle wrote: 90 Points
Brilliant clarity. Nice aroma, French in style. Excellent palate, though tight and restrained even a day after opening. Nice finish. This really needs time and I'll bet it will age and improve a long time. 5-12-16-7: 90/100.
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6/18/2012 - mjf@ulkner wrote: 92 Points
Nicely balanced- creamy, yet plenty of nervy acidity. Rich ripe fruit, bit generous minerality. Really nice stuff- a crime that this winery wasn't included in Wine Spectator's recent list of California's best Chardonnays.
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