I keep asking myself why I enjoy the varietals that Peak produces...the soil and the process! I enjoy their Estate Chardonnay - lemon, vanilla, minerality - balanced acid; moderate finish.
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Pear and apple, with pleasant minerality. Second of vertical Chardonnay from Peay cellars. Still has its fruit, medium yellow color, mild oak, very consistant with Peay style.
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Not as vibrant as expected, but classic Peay profile. Wet stones, lots of oak and enough acid for some zip left to it. Would have been better two years ago, but very enjoyable.
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This was part of a Thanksgiving vertical (2012, 2013, 2014) Estate Chardonnay library offering made at the end of October. Waste of money. Like the 2012 I opened a couple weeks ago, this bottle is well past it’s prime.
Oak is still evident on the nose, but nothing else. No fruit left on the nose or palate, and the mid-palate is completely dead. A touch of acid on the finish is all that tells me I’m not drinking stale water from a wooden bucket. Very disappointed that Peay is still offering this wine (at a premium, no less) to the public. I hope the ‘14 is palatable.
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Good acidity, nice medium yellow color, receding pear/apple fruit with nice minerality. Could have a little more body for my palate, but it is a strong example of new wave sonoma chardonnay.
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A nice bottle, clean palate with subtle fruit notes of apple and pear. I would like to see more acidity, I think maybe I’ve kept it a bit long. I will enjoy the rest of my holding this year.
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Floral, slight minerality with a hint of kaffir lime zest and some stone fruit. I got a slight headache after drinking; hopefully it was just the hot humid day. Paired with prosciutto, figs, honeydew, Trader Joe's unexpected cheddar and pumpkin seed bread during Zoom wine tasting (90)
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Pleasant and balanced from beginning to end. More apple than citrus, and not quite as much acidity as I remember from a bottle 2 years ago. Good California Chardonnay.
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PnP. Light greenish gold. Crisp nose of citrus and oak. This was initially quite clumsy on the palate; less acidity and restrained fruit. However, with time in the glass it improved quite dramatically though still the opposite of a fruit bomb. Not as good as the '14 and still need to integrate the oak more.
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Oaky nose. Avoids the over extraction of many California Chardonays, but is still over oaked for my tastes. No noticeable residual sugar. Elegant style. Could be mistaken for a Puligny, but needs more fruit to balance the overt oakiness. Nice wine, but not worth the price.
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Pale yellow, straw in color -- a lighter color than I expected. Beautiful citrusy, lemony nose, with a little bit of richness -- exactly what I expect from Peay. Smells like California chardonnay, without the all-too-often negative, oaky, buttery connotations of that phrase.
Nice depth on the palate -- great lemon and key lime pie, but the fruit takes a quick back seat to creamier notes, vanilla, some oak. Great acidity up front. An outstanding wine.
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Lovely Chardonnay, with a touch of oak and richness, but a long, bright finish. Beautiful balance, fruit, and acidity. Excellent. More Burgundian than other California Chardonnays, and yet it reflects its cool climate coastal terroir.
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Blinds at Californios - 4 (Californios SF): Overall this felt a bit cool-climate for Sonoma but it was made in a pretty modern, clean style - not very mineral. I waffled between New World and Old World blind and eventually went to Burgundy. As to quality, I think this is a bit simple - at half the price, the '14 Howard Park Margaret River chardonnay blows this out of the water.
-------- Full Notes (blind)
Visual
- moderate concentration gold
Nose
- Moderate usage of new oak - slight caramel, butterscotch - yellow apples - fresh and ripe.
Palate
- dry - medium plus body - Alcohol is elevated - 13.5% (actually 13.2%) - elevated acid - no phenolic bitterness - oak usage is moderage - 30-50% new French barrels for a year, or equivalent aging
Conclusions
- Oak: CA Sauv blanc, Bdx blanc, white Rioja, and chardonnay from around the world. - No oxidative character or pyrazines, and structurally I’m thinking this is Chardonnay. - Alcohol is elevated, suggesting New World. - Acid is elevated, and fruit quality isn’t ripe enough for this to be classic new world chardonnay - —> Burgundy - Too much oak for Chablis. - Based on the oak usage and overall heft, I’d guess this is: - Chardonnay > Meursault Premier Cru, 2013 - Actual: - Chardonnay > Sonoma Coast, 2013 - 2013 Peay estate chardonnay sonoma coast - I could have looked for more earth or mineral sensation, the absence of which might have taken me out of Burgundy. - I think this is fairly cool climate, compared to typical sonoma chard. - If I were to go to the Cote d’Or, Meursault probably makes the most sense given the oak and ripeness. (more sense than Puligny, for example).
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2/10/2024 - PDavisMarble wrote: 91 Points
Fully resolved, some fruit, a bit of malo, petrol, lemon curd.
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1/31/2023 - jvphoto Likes this wine: 92 Points
10 years old, drink up I would say. There's still acid but it has softened - lemon curd, salt water taffy, green apples.
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6/19/2022 - Mortgage92 Likes this wine: 92 Points
I keep asking myself why I enjoy the varietals that Peak produces...the soil and the process! I enjoy their Estate Chardonnay - lemon, vanilla, minerality - balanced acid; moderate finish.
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1/29/2022 - ksmith Likes this wine: 90 Points
Pear and apple, with pleasant minerality. Second of vertical Chardonnay from Peay cellars. Still has its fruit, medium yellow color, mild oak, very consistant with Peay style.
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11/25/2021 - kzkpt Likes this wine: 90 Points
Not as vibrant as expected, but classic Peay profile. Wet stones, lots of oak and enough acid for some zip left to it. Would have been better two years ago, but very enjoyable.
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12/5/2020 - MTC2 wrote: flawed
This was part of a Thanksgiving vertical (2012, 2013, 2014) Estate Chardonnay library offering made at the end of October. Waste of money. Like the 2012 I opened a couple weeks ago, this bottle is well past it’s prime.
Oak is still evident on the nose, but nothing else. No fruit left on the nose or palate, and the mid-palate is completely dead. A touch of acid on the finish is all that tells me I’m not drinking stale water from a wooden bucket. Very disappointed that Peay is still offering this wine (at a premium, no less) to the public. I hope the ‘14 is palatable.
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10/8/2020 - Bob23 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Good acidity, nice medium yellow color, receding pear/apple fruit with nice minerality. Could have a little more body for my palate, but it is a strong example of new wave sonoma chardonnay.
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9/17/2020 - Shartwell83 Likes this wine: 87 Points
A nice bottle, clean palate with subtle fruit notes of apple and pear. I would like to see more acidity, I think maybe I’ve kept it a bit long. I will enjoy the rest of my holding this year.
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7/17/2020 - 4vino wrote:
Floral, slight minerality with a hint of kaffir lime zest and some stone fruit. I got a slight headache after drinking; hopefully it was just the hot humid day. Paired with prosciutto, figs, honeydew, Trader Joe's unexpected cheddar and pumpkin seed bread during Zoom wine tasting (90)
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11/8/2019 - budman wrote:
Another leaky cork. Fortunately, it didn't seem to negatively affect the wine like other bad Peay corks have,.
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5/19/2019 - budman Does not like this wine:
corked
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2/19/2019 - Thellie wrote: 89 Points
Pleasant and balanced from beginning to end. More apple than citrus, and not quite as much acidity as I remember from a bottle 2 years ago. Good California Chardonnay.
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10/21/2018 - rosenst1 wrote: 90 Points
PnP. Light greenish gold. Crisp nose of citrus and oak. This was initially quite clumsy on the palate; less acidity and restrained fruit. However, with time in the glass it improved quite dramatically though still the opposite of a fruit bomb. Not as good as the '14 and still need to integrate the oak more.
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4/8/2018 - melzar wrote: 89 Points
Oaky nose. Avoids the over extraction of many California Chardonays, but is still over oaked for my tastes. No noticeable residual sugar. Elegant style. Could be mistaken for a Puligny, but needs more fruit to balance the overt oakiness. Nice wine, but not worth the price.
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3/24/2018 - rrschrumjr Likes this wine: 93 Points
Pale yellow, straw in color -- a lighter color than I expected. Beautiful citrusy, lemony nose, with a little bit of richness -- exactly what I expect from Peay. Smells like California chardonnay, without the all-too-often negative, oaky, buttery connotations of that phrase.
Nice depth on the palate -- great lemon and key lime pie, but the fruit takes a quick back seat to creamier notes, vanilla, some oak. Great acidity up front. An outstanding wine.
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11/23/2017 - Thellie wrote: 93 Points
Lovely Chardonnay, with a touch of oak and richness, but a long, bright finish. Beautiful balance, fruit, and acidity. Excellent. More Burgundian than other California Chardonnays, and yet it reflects its cool climate coastal terroir.
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7/16/2017 - Buddy318 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Very good but a little heavy on the oak.
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4/19/2016 - rossi.wine wrote: 89 Points
Rich fruit, a little buttery, notes of bubble gum , nice acidity. Good length. 88-90
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3/17/2016 - RajivAyyangar wrote:
Hurried first-impressions of Peay (Flatiron, SF): Light all around. Slightly burnt wood. Maybe it was a bit too chilled. Restrained ripeness, not super aromatic.
(note, very hurried impressions)
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2/12/2016 - RajivAyyangar wrote: 85 Points
Blinds at Californios - 4 (Californios SF): Overall this felt a bit cool-climate for Sonoma but it was made in a pretty modern, clean style - not very mineral. I waffled between New World and Old World blind and eventually went to Burgundy. As to quality, I think this is a bit simple - at half the price, the '14 Howard Park Margaret River chardonnay blows this out of the water.
--------
Full Notes (blind)
Visual
- moderate concentration gold
Nose
- Moderate usage of new oak - slight caramel, butterscotch
- yellow apples - fresh and ripe.
Palate
- dry
- medium plus body
- Alcohol is elevated - 13.5% (actually 13.2%)
- elevated acid
- no phenolic bitterness
- oak usage is moderage - 30-50% new French barrels for a year, or equivalent aging
Conclusions
- Oak: CA Sauv blanc, Bdx blanc, white Rioja, and chardonnay from around the world.
- No oxidative character or pyrazines, and structurally I’m thinking this is Chardonnay.
- Alcohol is elevated, suggesting New World.
- Acid is elevated, and fruit quality isn’t ripe enough for this to be classic new world chardonnay
- —> Burgundy
- Too much oak for Chablis.
- Based on the oak usage and overall heft, I’d guess this is:
- Chardonnay > Meursault Premier Cru, 2013
- Actual:
- Chardonnay > Sonoma Coast, 2013
- 2013 Peay estate chardonnay sonoma coast
- I could have looked for more earth or mineral sensation, the absence of which might have taken me out of Burgundy.
- I think this is fairly cool climate, compared to typical sonoma chard.
- If I were to go to the Cote d’Or, Meursault probably makes the most sense given the oak and ripeness. (more sense than Puligny, for example).
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