Magnum. No formal notes, but drinking nicely. Completely dry, it's the semillon and its characteristics that drive the profile - apple, pear, lanolin, ginger, etc. Matured nicely.
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Several years sine last bottle. Very nice again, and subtle as before. Still in fine shape, more on the honey and yellow stone fruit, but with that certainly not fruity. Served with fish that had a bit more lemon than the wine could quite complement--so there is that.
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After a somewhat “off” bottle last year, which seemed slightly oxidized, this is very similar to the one enjoyed back in late 2015. Fresh and lively. Poured into a chilling carafe: displayed a clear, medium gold color. Still developing, the high percentage of Semillon should support some further cellaring. Medium, complex aromas of white flowers, rocky minerals, lemon and limes, spicy red apple, and honey. Similar flavor and complexity profile on the palate supported with medium plus acidity. Medium plus body and medium alcohol. Medium plus finish. I think this could go for another couple of years, but my second bottle seemed slightly pre-mox’ed. It’s probably a personal preference as to whether you enjoy your whites fresh or with some age, roundness, with honey and nuttiness. Either way, this a a great wine when youthful and mid-aged.
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Not quite as fresh and vibrant as I remember from two years ago. It definitely took some time for this to open and start showing today. The high Semillon content has turned from light citrus to a more honeyed, and nutty profile as its aged. Probably should drink sooner rather than later.
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Liked it quite a bit more than the last bottle around this time last year. The sweet floral nose was more subdued and integrated. A nice summertime wine.
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4 2011, a year for whites to shine. A complex nose of lemon, nut, lanolin, and flint with a hint of vanilla. Medium-bodied with zinging acidity gives tension and lift. An alluring wine that keeps you coming back. Excellent.
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Served with grilled sockeye, various summer salads. Concur with most recent notes. Light nose, medium rich palate, better as it warmed and with airtime. Light on mineral side as others note. Elegant more than defined; Fruit was hard to pin down--I'd say softer yellow fruit, quite light floral/herbal quality, a bit of honey. Good acid balance. Curious because with all that the wine was NOT nondescript, more reserved and subtle.
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A good wine, not really in my wheelhouse; pleasant enough, honeysuckle, sweet nose, soft body, something that would be great to share on the patio with casual apps.
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Pleasing wine. I admit to feeling hesitancy when seeing the varietal mix of 60% Semillion, 19% Sauvignon Blanc, and 21% Muscadelle. My fear was that it'd be a sweet flavor bomb, but this was not the case. There was a nice lushness that was not too much. Pleasing fruits, absence of minerality and full-bodied. Drank as an apertif and it went very well with a meal of sauteed Mahi Mahi in butter, leeks and capers. The bottle says it can be cellared for 10 years, so I'll try and save my other two bottles to see how this ages. Great QPR! Thanks Jon! (Editing this to add that I was recently in a wine store and noticed them featuring Bordeaux whites with the major variety as Semillon, followed by Sauv Blnc. [I still have much to learn! :) ])
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Rich gold in color. Nose somewhat reserved, with figgy, slightly herbal notes. Elegant and structured on the palate, with a nice balance of flavors: stone fruit, straw, and clover. Medium bodied, with good acidity.
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Of the cork pull its certainly not fresh as a daisy any more. The sem has taken over. And if you like old sem (which I do) its a pretty darn nice thing. If you don't like old sem, its long overdue for drinking.
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A nice break from the Chardonnay I've been consuming lately. Displays a medium plus golden color, with a slight orange hue and medium viscosity when poured into a Riedel glass. Aromatic notes of minerals, lemons, limes, spicy orange, and tropical fruit, which follow through on the palate with a very similar flavor profile. High acidity, provides a crisp, clean mouthfeel, following through with a long, persistent finish. A very pleasant surprise for a Garagiste Mystery Wine. Buty makes great reds and I will seek this out in the future. Great with chicken pot pie.
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This is a better vintage than the last of this wine I had. This is much more crisp and white Bordeaux like, but with a nice hint of tropical richness over the lemon and lime acidity. The prior vintage seemed a little blowsey - but this wine has none of that with nice crispness and lingering acidity on the palate. Overall, a very nice experience.
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Champagneinhand hit it with the lemon and lime tasting note. Definitely lemons and limes and rocks. No longer overly rich, it seems to be hitting its stride, shedding its baby fat and coming into form. In a good place now, I wonder what additional time will do for this wine. The acid is still prevalent, and it can stand to age for a while more.
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If I knew that these would age so effortlessly and become better with each bottle I had, this would have been a case purchase. Really a crowd pleaser with Italian sausages baked with chenin blanc and peppers, onions, artichokes, and mushrooms. The nice acidic and mineral backbone that hold this wine together and the subdued waxy orchard fruit, green pears and passionfruit, but with that ruby red grapefruit, to keep this fresh with such a diverse set of food. We also had an olive and feta salad and the mozzarella, basil and tomatoes going, and this was great and even the people that usually stick to the cheaper, mass public brands loved this wine. Too bad its my last bottle.
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Okay, this was great. Leon, and limes poured over dried river stone. Some unripe apricot and white peaches with a touch of the white florals and that mineraled hibiscus, keeps this wine from falling apart, yet standing its ground with a full Tuscan sandwich of salami and capicola with pepperocicni. Really much better than it was a year back. Great mineral finish. Wow, more than I had imagined from a WA bordeaux blend, ever.
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Very much a "meh" wine for me. Nicely made but not super impressed. A little thin. a little flash of heat, but decent citrus and pitted fruit. Bone dry a little in the mineral department, but the finish was pretty short and the florals were a bit hidden tonight. It could have a lot to do with the meal, the situation, but really didn't shine near the excellent category. Le Secret Gran Bautade seems a better wine, even though solid SB. For the same price I can find Le Thil Clary Blanc from '09 and '10. We will see how the 2 age against each other. A good Bdx blanc gets much better with some cellar time, so maybe this will show the Graves wines up. Only time will tell.
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Four bottles at family reunion; VERY popular among seven or eight white drinkers, who have been swayed by this wine from their usual Chardonnay predilections. Very good QPR. Light on its feet but with plants of flavor; a great food wine. Comparable to DeLille Chaleur Estate Blanc: while not as complex, this is ten or fifteen bucks cheaper (though it's hard to locate now for under $20.)
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Popped and poured. Excellent white, especially at <$20. Maybe a little heavy on the Muscadelle, which means you might want to serve this more chilled than not. A more than serviceable white.
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Drank this a little warmer than the previous versions. Really opened it up. Bigger floral notes in the nose. The mouth was fuller (the semi-syrupy aspect evaporated) with explosive citrus and even a bit of pepperiness. Quicker finish but lingering pleasant tones. Great wine.
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Refreshing and well-made, but lacked the depth to push it into the 90s. Good green pear, slate and light citrus aromas, with similar flavors including a floral element on the palate.
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PnP. Light/medium straw, clear throughout. Brighter and more lively than the 2010 bottling - which is to say I prefer this over the latter. Medium-bodied, with aromas and flavors of lemon oil, white pepper, peaches and pears. More deserving of table wine status as opposed to sheer cocktail wine status given its quality of fruit, this nonetheless drops the ball, if only slightly, as it finishes a little hot at the back end, distracting from an otherwise enjoyable experience. Drink thru 2016
Well built wine that balances key aspects of each varietal. Medium weight, slightly syrupy (in a good way), meaty favors that pick up the nose of white stone fruit with floral tones. Finishes a bit hot with a lingering glow. Great cocktail wine.
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This is an exceptional white--beautiful weight and texture from the semillon, lovely lift and acidity from the SB and awesome Muscadelle aromas. Had with a variety of cheeses and it went great with several.
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1/2/2022 - goodvitis.com Likes this wine: 92 Points
Magnum. No formal notes, but drinking nicely. Completely dry, it's the semillon and its characteristics that drive the profile - apple, pear, lanolin, ginger, etc. Matured nicely.
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1/8/2021 - wine247365 Likes this wine:
honey, marzipan, butterscotch, flavorful, full-bodied, medium-minus acidity, medium aromatics
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12/3/2019 - wayfarer Likes this wine:
Several years sine last bottle. Very nice again, and subtle as before. Still in fine shape, more on the honey and yellow stone fruit, but with that certainly not fruity. Served with fish that had a bit more lemon than the wine could quite complement--so there is that.
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9/27/2019 - A L P Likes this wine: 90 Points
Bright honey.
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7/14/2018 - wmccone54 wrote: 91 Points
After a somewhat “off” bottle last year, which seemed slightly oxidized, this is very similar to the one enjoyed back in late 2015. Fresh and lively. Poured into a chilling carafe: displayed a clear, medium gold color. Still developing, the high percentage of Semillon should support some further cellaring. Medium, complex aromas of white flowers, rocky minerals, lemon and limes, spicy red apple, and honey. Similar flavor and complexity profile on the palate supported with medium plus acidity. Medium plus body and medium alcohol. Medium plus finish. I think this could go for another couple of years, but my second bottle seemed slightly pre-mox’ed. It’s probably a personal preference as to whether you enjoy your whites fresh or with some age, roundness, with honey and nuttiness. Either way, this a a great wine when youthful and mid-aged.
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6/15/2018 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Lots of lanolin on the nose. In a good way. With a succulent richness not based on fruit. Lively. Powerful. Darn that is good.
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10/1/2017 - wmccone54 wrote: 88 Points
Not quite as fresh and vibrant as I remember from two years ago. It definitely took some time for this to open and start showing today. The high Semillon content has turned from light citrus to a more honeyed, and nutty profile as its aged. Probably should drink sooner rather than later.
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9/15/2017 - mnoljo wrote: 90 Points
A great summer sipper
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6/28/2017 - tward Likes this wine: 88 Points
Liked it quite a bit more than the last bottle around this time last year. The sweet floral nose was more subdued and integrated. A nice summertime wine.
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5/29/2017 - NorthEndCellar Likes this wine: 92 Points
This is the best wine for summer drinking. Goes with everything.
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8/5/2016 - wagonwine wrote:
4 2011, a year for whites to shine. A complex nose of lemon, nut, lanolin, and flint with a hint of vanilla. Medium-bodied with zinging acidity gives tension and lift. An alluring wine that keeps you coming back. Excellent.
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7/24/2016 - wayfarer Likes this wine:
Served with grilled sockeye, various summer salads. Concur with most recent notes. Light nose, medium rich palate, better as it warmed and with airtime. Light on mineral side as others note. Elegant more than defined; Fruit was hard to pin down--I'd say softer yellow fruit, quite light floral/herbal quality, a bit of honey. Good acid balance. Curious because with all that the wine was NOT nondescript, more reserved and subtle.
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7/1/2016 - tward wrote: 86 Points
A good wine, not really in my wheelhouse; pleasant enough, honeysuckle, sweet nose, soft body, something that would be great to share on the patio with casual apps.
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5/2/2016 - djpo wrote: 90 Points
Lush - drink now.
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3/20/2016 - wine247365 Likes this wine:
Pleasing wine. I admit to feeling hesitancy when seeing the varietal mix of 60% Semillion, 19% Sauvignon Blanc, and 21% Muscadelle. My fear was that it'd be a sweet flavor bomb, but this was not the case. There was a nice lushness that was not too much. Pleasing fruits, absence of minerality and full-bodied. Drank as an apertif and it went very well with a meal of sauteed Mahi Mahi in butter, leeks and capers. The bottle says it can be cellared for 10 years, so I'll try and save my other two bottles to see how this ages. Great QPR! Thanks Jon! (Editing this to add that I was recently in a wine store and noticed them featuring Bordeaux whites with the major variety as Semillon, followed by Sauv Blnc. [I still have much to learn! :) ])
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3/20/2016 - Connecticut Wino Likes this wine: 89 Points
Rich gold in color. Nose somewhat reserved, with figgy, slightly herbal notes. Elegant and structured on the palate, with a nice balance of flavors: stone fruit, straw, and clover. Medium bodied, with good acidity.
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3/6/2016 - nefarm Likes this wine: 89 Points
A lot tastier than the 2012. Tropical flavors on palate with nice acidity. Glad I have another bottle. I recommend this vintage, but not 2012.
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2/5/2016 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Of the cork pull its certainly not fresh as a daisy any more. The sem has taken over. And if you like old sem (which I do) its a pretty darn nice thing. If you don't like old sem, its long overdue for drinking.
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1/6/2016 - Aparritz Likes this wine: 89 Points
Rich, layered with a balance of honey and ripe fruit.
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11/19/2015 - tb76 wrote:
Citrus, mineral, has some zip to it...very refreshing.
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11/15/2015 - redz wrote: 90 Points
Fresh, yummy.
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11/14/2015 - wmccone54 wrote: 91 Points
A nice break from the Chardonnay I've been consuming lately. Displays a medium plus golden color, with a slight orange hue and medium viscosity when poured into a Riedel glass. Aromatic notes of minerals, lemons, limes, spicy orange, and tropical fruit, which follow through on the palate with a very similar flavor profile. High acidity, provides a crisp, clean mouthfeel, following through with a long, persistent finish. A very pleasant surprise for a Garagiste Mystery Wine. Buty makes great reds and I will seek this out in the future. Great with chicken pot pie.
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10/9/2015 - thebonnydooner wrote: 91 Points
Same notes as last wine - really good.
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9/17/2015 - thebonnydooner wrote: 91 Points
This is a better vintage than the last of this wine I had. This is much more crisp and white Bordeaux like, but with a nice hint of tropical richness over the lemon and lime acidity. The prior vintage seemed a little blowsey - but this wine has none of that with nice crispness and lingering acidity on the palate. Overall, a very nice experience.
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9/13/2015 - PDX-S Likes this wine:
Champagneinhand hit it with the lemon and lime tasting note. Definitely lemons and limes and rocks. No longer overly rich, it seems to be hitting its stride, shedding its baby fat and coming into form. In a good place now, I wonder what additional time will do for this wine. The acid is still prevalent, and it can stand to age for a while more.
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6/16/2015 - prism wrote: 91 Points
Meant to grab a 2012 and brought this 2011 to the pizza party instead; drank over half of it myself. Love this stuff, just a delight to drink.
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5/17/2015 - Champagneinhand Likes this wine: 92 Points
If I knew that these would age so effortlessly and become better with each bottle I had, this would have been a case purchase. Really a crowd pleaser with Italian sausages baked with chenin blanc and peppers, onions, artichokes, and mushrooms. The nice acidic and mineral backbone that hold this wine together and the subdued waxy orchard fruit, green pears and passionfruit, but with that ruby red grapefruit, to keep this fresh with such a diverse set of food. We also had an olive and feta salad and the mozzarella, basil and tomatoes going, and this was great and even the people that usually stick to the cheaper, mass public brands loved this wine. Too bad its my last bottle.
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2/28/2015 - Champagneinhand Likes this wine: 92 Points
Okay, this was great. Leon, and limes poured over dried river stone. Some unripe apricot and white peaches with a touch of the white florals and that mineraled hibiscus, keeps this wine from falling apart, yet standing its ground with a full Tuscan sandwich of salami and capicola with pepperocicni. Really much better than it was a year back. Great mineral finish. Wow, more than I had imagined from a WA bordeaux blend, ever.
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6/18/2014 - Lexsolis wrote: 89 Points
Tacos @ home with E
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6/14/2014 - prism wrote: 91 Points
A total hit, as always. Round, sweetly refreshing, and delicious.
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4/13/2014 - rylanreynolds wrote: 90 Points
Honeycomb, white chocolate. Very nice bottle.
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4/10/2014 - prism wrote: flawed
Corked. Previous 8 bottles in the case have been fine.
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10/27/2013 - Champagneinhand Likes this wine: 88 Points
Very much a "meh" wine for me. Nicely made but not super impressed. A little thin. a little flash of heat, but decent citrus and pitted fruit. Bone dry a little in the mineral department, but the finish was pretty short and the florals were a bit hidden tonight. It could have a lot to do with the meal, the situation, but really didn't shine near the excellent category. Le Secret Gran Bautade seems a better wine, even though solid SB. For the same price I can find Le Thil Clary Blanc from '09 and '10. We will see how the 2 age against each other. A good Bdx blanc gets much better with some cellar time, so maybe this will show the Graves wines up. Only time will tell.
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7/20/2013 - prism wrote: 91 Points
Can't stop.
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7/20/2013 - prism wrote: 91 Points
Can't keep my hands off these bottles.
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7/8/2013 - prism wrote: 92 Points
As previous.
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7/8/2013 - prism wrote: 92 Points
Four bottles at family reunion; VERY popular among seven or eight white drinkers, who have been swayed by this wine from their usual Chardonnay predilections. Very good QPR. Light on its feet but with plants of flavor; a great food wine. Comparable to DeLille Chaleur Estate Blanc: while not as complex, this is ten or fifteen bucks cheaper (though it's hard to locate now for under $20.)
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6/22/2013 - prism wrote: 90 Points
Very nice; great QPR. Better with some chill.
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6/22/2013 - prism wrote: 90 Points
Popped and poured. Excellent white, especially at <$20. Maybe a little heavy on the Muscadelle, which means you might want to serve this more chilled than not. A more than serviceable white.
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4/23/2013 - jarfour Likes this wine: 90 Points
Drank this a little warmer than the previous versions. Really opened it up. Bigger floral notes in the nose. The mouth was fuller (the semi-syrupy aspect evaporated) with explosive citrus and even a bit of pepperiness. Quicker finish but lingering pleasant tones. Great wine.
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4/23/2013 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Just as darn good as I remember. Really coming around and showing off its Semillon.
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4/17/2013 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
This doesn't suck. Works it out at $22.
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3/18/2013 - BRR wrote: 88 Points
Refreshing and well-made, but lacked the depth to push it into the 90s. Good green pear, slate and light citrus aromas, with similar flavors including a floral element on the palate.
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3/15/2013 - nawebb Likes this wine: 89 Points
Aromatic and flavorful, with lemon, lychee, pine nuts, crushed gravel, and sea air. Soft mouthfeel, with above average acidity and a crisp finish.
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2/15/2013 - Tim Heaton wrote:
PnP. Light/medium straw, clear throughout. Brighter and more lively than the 2010 bottling - which is to say I prefer this over the latter. Medium-bodied, with aromas and flavors of lemon oil, white pepper, peaches and pears. More deserving of table wine status as opposed to sheer cocktail wine status given its quality of fruit, this nonetheless drops the ball, if only slightly, as it finishes a little hot at the back end, distracting from an otherwise enjoyable experience. Drink thru 2016
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1/29/2013 - jarfour wrote: 90 Points
Well built wine that balances key aspects of each varietal. Medium weight, slightly syrupy (in a good way), meaty favors that pick up the nose of white stone fruit with floral tones. Finishes a bit hot with a lingering glow. Great cocktail wine.
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1/29/2013 - The Vinsider wrote: 92 Points
This is an exceptional white--beautiful weight and texture from the semillon, lovely lift and acidity from the SB and awesome Muscadelle aromas. Had with a variety of cheeses and it went great with several.
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11/22/2012 - Humpymac wrote: 87 Points
Very young but not much structure or fruit. Drinkable but not top end. 5 more bottles to try over time.
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