Cork shows what might be some past seepage. Overall, drinking well in a mature, slightly oxidative style. Pale gold color in the glass. Acidity is medium-low. Showing some dried fruit characteristics. Also has notes of butter, marzipan and nutmeg. Starting to come down from peak, so best to drink sooner than later.
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Straw color. Soft lemon and other citrus note. Fantastic minerality, acidity, and balance. Long finish. Superb! Drinking very well at this age in the bottle.
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Oak is dominating. Light lemon flavor. Color is a deep lemon peel. Vanilla. Medium plus body, acidity is there. Creamy texture with acidic bite on the finish.
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Served blind to W and M. Nice light golden color. W says hints of caramel with citrus. M describes Chablis like minerals. I'm getting butterscotch, Fuji apple and honey. Crisp acidity and nicely balanced. W initially guesses white Rhone, but switches to California Chardonnay. M sticks with Chablis. A fine chardonnay which might be interesting to know if it could improve even further. Reluctant to find out. Last bottle.
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Mineral, slate, hint of trop. fruit, apple and pear.......a very non typical California chardonnay....no heaviness and well balanced....missing a tad of finish, but still a very high quality bottle of wine....This winemaker always shows his care with the product........
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The wine shows a clear, medium intensity, lemon color.
The nose is youthful with a medium(+) aroma intensity. Aromas of tropical fruit, mango, grilled lemons, oak, vanilla, butter, fudge, popcorn and crushed stones. Big and really ripe!
Dry on the palate with a medium acidity and medium(+) body. The flavor intensity is medium(+) with flavors of tropical fruits, baked mango, grilled lemon, oak, vanilla, baking spice, fudge and butter. The finish is medium(+).
A true full-throttled Chardonnay! Big and powerful but manages to stay balanced and the 14.5(!!) abv is nicely integrated. Still young and since this wine has plenty of stuffing this wine should last for at least 5-10 years. Would love to have again!
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Taste at FHE. Day bright color. Light buttered popcorn. Touch savory with bell pepper. Pineapple. Melons. Palate shows light Meyer Lemon. A little minerals and slate.
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Now we are talking Chardonnay... The 2012 Mt Harlan is just adorable and combines elegance and a massive approach in a very nice way. It has all the components you are looking for in this varietal, yet it is superbly balanced and there is no hard edges. The nose reveals rich honeysuckle, summer meadow and a whiff of lemon curd. There is also plenty of colza and lovely butterscotch. The nose is best summarised as classy and classical. The palate leaves little or no room for improvement. It is integrated, balanced and provides a lovely drinking experience. With a length on the finish lasting a minute or more this certainly is a very nice wine. (score is 94+)
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Un peu en retrait, nettement moins exubérant et complexe que la bombe qu'était le 2009. Il prend du temps à s'exprimer mais ne ressemble en rien au cliché qu'on se fait du Chardonnay californien: pas de nez beurré, de bouche exotique et trop riche. Il est presque minéral et tendu, fidèle à son origine avec un petit côté enrobé mais délicieux.
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Clean, crisp Chardonnay with soft butter notes, Gala apple and nice acidity. After 30 minutes, the wine opens up nicely to get all its complex flavors. Very nice.
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Great stuff and amazing QPR. Lots of depth and room for improvement but truly a very nice wine at this value. Adored the Chardonnay expression, minerality and power without going over the top.
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Straw yellow; expressive nose, exotic fruit; fat, smooth, buttery, creamy, powerful with balance; nice long aftertaste; very nice although a bit one-dimensional
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Light greenish yellow; expressive nose, buttery, green notes; acidic, green, mouth drying; either not good or not ready, some good elements in terms of power and underlying taste
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A lovely Chardonnay full of character and typical classy Chardonnay tones. The nose boasts from minerality, colza, honeysuckle, butterscotch and the lovely tone of freshly popped corn. The palate follow through quite excellently with perfect integration, a nice texture and structure and of course a very nice acidity. All components in this effort come together in a very nice whole - but there is still plenty of promise for the future. The wine will continue to integrate and probably settle very nicely in due course. The overall impression is very positive. A lovely effort from Calera!
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tasting the May releases from the Swedish Government monopoly (munskänkarna) (Näringslivets hus, Stockholm): The nose is lovely and full of exquisite apple pie, hazelnuts, vanilla, cream, and citrus. I find it less fresh than the 2012 denis et pere corton charlemagne tasted side by side, there's a bitter note from the oak perhaps, which detracts a little bit and also a rondeur which feels less than elegant (too much batonnage? malo fermentation overdose? I am not technical enough to pinpoint what this might be the result of, if it is not just californian sunshine...!)
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Munskänkarna Stockholm - Tasting of May releases: Sunripe, generous, carefully toasted aromas and impeccable flavour balance. Notes of yellow citrus, yellow apples and peach, vanilla, toast, butter and sweet spice. A useful cali chard, perfect with grilled fish and lobster the upcoming summer.
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- Light gold color with medium forming legs and aromas of grapefruit. It's balanced and has flavours of grapefruit with a light/medium body. Bright texture with a medium finish.
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11/7/2022 - yaki wrote: 90 Points
Cork shows what might be some past seepage. Overall, drinking well in a mature, slightly oxidative style. Pale gold color in the glass. Acidity is medium-low. Showing some dried fruit characteristics. Also has notes of butter, marzipan and nutmeg. Starting to come down from peak, so best to drink sooner than later.
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8/2/2022 - WineJ2019 wrote:
I got this from K&L as part of their Calera library release. Nothing special and certainly not worth the $.
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8/29/2020 - Hodad Likes this wine: 94 Points
Straw color. Soft lemon and other citrus note. Fantastic minerality, acidity, and balance. Long finish. Superb! Drinking very well at this age in the bottle.
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6/7/2020 - Neecies wrote:
Oak-dominated, round butterscotch flavors, sybaritic. Usually enjoy Calera Chards but not this one.
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5/18/2018 - olioli wrote: 91 Points
Homards vapeur avec mayo au cari.
Assez boisé mais une belle richesse en bouche.
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2/19/2017 - BayAreaWildcat wrote: 90 Points
Oak is dominating. Light lemon flavor. Color is a deep lemon peel. Vanilla. Medium plus body, acidity is there. Creamy texture with acidic bite on the finish.
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12/12/2016 - mhudes Likes this wine: 92 Points
Served blind to W and M. Nice light golden color. W says hints of caramel with citrus. M describes Chablis like minerals. I'm getting butterscotch, Fuji apple and honey. Crisp acidity and nicely balanced. W initially guesses white Rhone, but switches to California Chardonnay. M sticks with Chablis. A fine chardonnay which might be interesting to know if it could improve even further. Reluctant to find out. Last bottle.
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11/15/2015 - 3daywinereview.com wrote: 92 Points
Quite balanced. Lemon zest, spices, oak, vanilla and white peaches. Medium finish and plenty going on here. Drink now or hold for a few. 92 plus
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8/14/2015 - rombollo Likes this wine: 90 Points
Mineral, slate, hint of trop. fruit, apple and pear.......a very non typical California chardonnay....no heaviness and well balanced....missing a tad of finish, but still a very high quality bottle of wine....This winemaker always shows his care with the product........
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7/3/2015 - canan wrote: 93 Points
Still very nice and plenty of drinking pleasure.
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6/13/2015 - karl.1480 Likes this wine: 91 Points
The wine shows a clear, medium intensity, lemon color.
The nose is youthful with a medium(+) aroma intensity. Aromas of tropical fruit, mango, grilled lemons, oak, vanilla, butter, fudge, popcorn and crushed stones. Big and really ripe!
Dry on the palate with a medium acidity and medium(+) body. The flavor intensity is medium(+) with flavors of tropical fruits, baked mango, grilled lemon, oak, vanilla, baking spice, fudge and butter. The finish is medium(+).
A true full-throttled Chardonnay! Big and powerful but manages to stay balanced and the 14.5(!!) abv is nicely integrated. Still young and since this wine has plenty of stuffing this wine should last for at least 5-10 years. Would love to have again!
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5/23/2015 - canan wrote: 93 Points
Consistent with previous note.
Loved it :-)
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4/30/2015 - Birged Likes this wine: 92 Points
Golden straw color in the glass, fresh fruit and ripe peach scents, well balanced crisp acidity, and mellow dry finish, wonderful.
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1/18/2015 - beezer6 wrote: 90 Points
Taste at FHE.
Day bright color. Light buttered popcorn. Touch savory with bell pepper. Pineapple. Melons.
Palate shows light Meyer Lemon. A little minerals and slate.
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1/17/2015 - Christoffer78 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Now we are talking Chardonnay... The 2012 Mt Harlan is just adorable and combines elegance and a massive approach in a very nice way. It has all the components you are looking for in this varietal, yet it is superbly balanced and there is no hard edges. The nose reveals rich honeysuckle, summer meadow and a whiff of lemon curd. There is also plenty of colza and lovely butterscotch. The nose is best summarised as classy and classical. The palate leaves little or no room for improvement. It is integrated, balanced and provides a lovely drinking experience. With a length on the finish lasting a minute or more this certainly is a very nice wine. (score is 94+)
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12/18/2014 - Deux Chevaux Likes this wine:
Very nice indeed, golden, surprisingly rich, slightly viscous and rather creamy -- but still with good acid. Wish we had more.
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12/14/2014 - ludwigbpm wrote: 91 Points
Un peu en retrait, nettement moins exubérant et complexe que la bombe qu'était le 2009. Il prend du temps à s'exprimer mais ne ressemble en rien au cliché qu'on se fait du Chardonnay californien: pas de nez beurré, de bouche exotique et trop riche. Il est presque minéral et tendu, fidèle à son origine avec un petit côté enrobé mais délicieux.
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11/19/2014 - Mad Dane wrote: 90 Points
Buttery and rich on the palate similar to a Carneros Chardonnay. Very nice.
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11/14/2014 - Schiffy Likes this wine: 91 Points
Clean, crisp Chardonnay with soft butter notes, Gala apple and nice acidity. After 30 minutes, the wine opens up nicely to get all its complex flavors. Very nice.
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11/1/2014 - canan wrote: 93 Points
Great stuff and amazing QPR. Lots of depth and room for improvement but truly a very nice wine at this value.
Adored the Chardonnay expression, minerality and power without going over the top.
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10/5/2014 - Miceri Likes this wine: 92 Points
Straw yellow; expressive nose, exotic fruit; fat, smooth, buttery, creamy, powerful with balance; nice long aftertaste; very nice although a bit one-dimensional
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6/26/2014 - Miceri wrote: 86 Points
Light greenish yellow; expressive nose, buttery, green notes; acidic, green, mouth drying; either not good or not ready, some good elements in terms of power and underlying taste
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5/24/2014 - Christoffer78 Likes this wine: 93 Points
A lovely Chardonnay full of character and typical classy Chardonnay tones. The nose boasts from minerality, colza, honeysuckle, butterscotch and the lovely tone of freshly popped corn. The palate follow through quite excellently with perfect integration, a nice texture and structure and of course a very nice acidity. All components in this effort come together in a very nice whole - but there is still plenty of promise for the future. The wine will continue to integrate and probably settle very nicely in due course. The overall impression is very positive. A lovely effort from Calera!
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5/6/2014 - Omar Khayyam wrote: 89 Points
tasting the May releases from the Swedish Government monopoly (munskänkarna) (Näringslivets hus, Stockholm): The nose is lovely and full of exquisite apple pie, hazelnuts, vanilla, cream, and citrus. I find it less fresh than the 2012 denis et pere corton charlemagne tasted side by side, there's a bitter note from the oak perhaps, which detracts a little bit and also a rondeur which feels less than elegant (too much batonnage? malo fermentation overdose? I am not technical enough to pinpoint what this might be the result of, if it is not just californian sunshine...!)
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5/5/2014 - Mad Dog Mikey wrote: 91 Points
Overwhelming (in a positive way) and unmistakable chardonnay. A lot of everything. Butter. Butterscotch. Vanilla. Apples.
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5/5/2014 - Finare Vinare wrote: 91 Points
Munskänkarna Stockholm - Tasting of May releases: Sunripe, generous, carefully toasted aromas and impeccable flavour balance. Notes of yellow citrus, yellow apples and peach, vanilla, toast, butter and sweet spice. A useful cali chard, perfect with grilled fish and lobster the upcoming summer.
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4/28/2014 - Valleyfog wrote:
- Light gold color with medium forming legs and aromas of grapefruit. It's balanced and has flavours of grapefruit with a light/medium body. Bright texture with a medium finish.
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2/12/2014 - Italiana Likes this wine:
Greatly enjoyable. Smooth texture, not too much of any single element. Refreshing. Fine.
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2/11/2014 - yofog wrote: 88 Points
A little more weight than the central coast, but more toast, also.
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11/27/2013 - Italiana Likes this wine:
Nicely delineated, especially if drunk a tiny bit on the colder side.
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