Drinking extremely well right now but still feels youthful with slightly green tinges to balance the intense Chardonnay fruit. Fresh, crisp and yet deep. Beautiful
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Half Century Magnum Lunch (La Trompette) (London): From magnum maybe a 92+. Perhaps a little overwhelmed by the quality of the flight and perhaps having 4 in flight was a little too much as the Raveneau and Alvina Pernot at 1 and 2 really did take stage. This should have been the first. Like green tinge to it compared to others and this perhaps appears on the palate. Oak is in a nice place now and a good bottle, not really moved from previous bottles Less open and rich compared to the burgundies with it. Showing sharper acidity Very good
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Magnum Mike's Half Century Blow Out (La Trompette): My handwritten notes on this comprised a single word - "standard". This is just as it should be - it's tasted the same from bottle and mag, and seems to just stay the same. A bit more tropical fruit, a bit more richness on the finish than the burgs.
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Magnum Mike's Magnificent Half Century (La Trompette): Magnum. We had another mag of this a few months back, and although I've given this another '93' I think it was a hair behind that one, lacking its extreme sense of precision. The wine's still definitely in a good place though, the acidity and reduction being in excellent balance, especially with some air time. The lovely combination of toast and crisp lime also remained!
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Simon Beatty Memorial Dinner - Chablis Le Clos (Noizé): Served from magnum - poured first as the Champagne was held up underground. This was lovely, some lemon, lemon curd, precision and acidity. This was the wine that won the famous chardonnay shoot out and one could see why. Promising start.
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Simon Beatty Memorial Dinner - Les Clos table (Noize): Magnum, and decanted. I've had this wine twice before (in 2019 and 2022) and this showing was by far the best, not sharing the previous bottle's faults of being too tropical and too reductive, respectively. Balanced and sophisticated, the reduction adding some matchsticky interest, plenty of tempting lemon/lime fruit and a sense of focus and precision. Delicious wine!
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Simon Beatty's Memorial Dinner - Table 2 - Richebourg (Noizé, London): From magnum after 3 hours in a decanter. Lime juice and white currant puree here. So balanced, so long. Not a vintage of this wine I'd had before but it's cracking. See why this did so well in the blind new world vs Burg tasting a few years ago.
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Pronounced on the nose with ripe apple, pear, peach, pineapple, wet stone, toast, vanilla, cream, butterscotch, and almond. Developing.
Pronounced and dry on the palate with hazlenut. Medium plus acidity, medium alcohol, full body, long finish.
Can drink now but has potential for aging or further.
By far the best of the Kumeu River wines tasted in the same sitting, got close to an amazing Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru but not quite. Fantastic wine. Worth giving it some air to open up.
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Double decanted to blow off the hint of gunsmoke, this developed in the glass to be a gorgeous, minerally, concentrated, focused wine. Could be a GC Chassagne Montrachet (but not at this price!!). Great now but feels like it is only just coming in to a long drinking window.
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Generous mouthfeel, good freshness, Burgundyesque. Grapefruit, lime, lemon and a saline tang. Medium finish, straightforward. Still retains it's youth, no signs of tertiary at this juncture. Drink now and over the next 5 to 10 years.
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Chardonnays and Pinots of North London (Must & Lees): Three years ago I noted that this wine was too tropical in feel, and now my impression was that it was rather too lean! Very linear despite the dominant notes being icing sugar and cream as well as citrus. Classy stuff, but too severe for me to enjoy it particularly.
Some reduction here on the nose, but not extreme. Lemony and lean, lacking complexity and depth but it has poise, elegance and grace that's aesthetically appealing. I need more though, than just elegance. I need soul.
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Been a while since I checked in on this and in a very good place right now. Lovely fruit and depth with a long lingering finish. No hurry for the rest..
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Similar to my 7/19/20 TN. Terrific structure in this wine, without being overly acidic. Great length on the fruit - let it slow ox for 20+minutes in glass, but might have even needed a quick decant. Has many years of life left! 92+
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PnP and tasted over 2+ hours. My last bottle of this was over 2 years ago and the added time in bottle seems to have really helped mellow this wine out and give it a richer and rounder, more complete texture and flavor profile. The wine is a bright lemon yellow with a tinge of green. The nose is quite layered and presents a little differently over time. First very lemony and minerally, then with the addition of lime zest and light stone fruit, followed by some apple and just a hint of cream. The palate is beautifully textured both light and lithe on the tongue then more weighty and dense. Full of all the flavors in the nose and bright with acidity but less overpowering than previously. Open and inviting, still with minerals on the rather long finish. This paired nicely with pan sautéed Maine Black Sea Bass and buerre blanc also was very interesting with homemade sourdough bread, goat cheese, apple and fennel. Beautiful!
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Very focused, minerally, white peach, a hint of flower and even white pepper? Powerful and yet restrained. Feels very young, will be interesting to see how this develops. Upgraded a point to 92 as it developed in the glass.
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First taste of this vineyard. Good colour, not too dark. Tropical fruit with a touch of smoke on nose. Rich then lush mid-palate with decent acidity. Taste consistent with initial aromas. Persistent and fairly powerful. Seems quite young. Certainly no hurry - expect it to gather a bit of nuance with some more time.
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I got the bottle out of the fridge and poured myself a glass. I then went off to do a few chores and when I came back into the room I could smell the wine from meters away. Promising I thought. Citrussy smoky, flinty, struck match on the nose with a hint of apple/ quince; pale, lemon gold colour; nutty, creamy, melon on the palate with a zip of acidity - I like a bit more of a zip but pleasing aftertaste nevertheless that lasts and finishes with an (apricot?) kernel note.
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Oh yeah - this wine is cooking! Nicely aging, showing more secondary nuances. Stone fruits, citrus, spices and a bit of charred oak on the nose. Electric fruit on the palate - green apples, some tropical notes, and some Burgundian oak. Great acid balance - superb with food. Still has plenty of legs. 92+
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Underripe green nectarine / lime / green apricot / honeydew right at the skin / green mango, nice hint of mercaptan-saltiness. Slight glycerol, raw blanched almond, salivation-inducing acidity, slightly bitter pithiness in the finish.
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Consistent with previous bottle. Pale gold in color, this wine reveals intense aromas of tropical fruit on the nose, including banana, guava and pineapple. The mouth feel is fuller bodied with smoke and tangerine undertones. The finish is long and complex and brings out the breathtaking fruit as well as a defined saline but pleasant element. A delicious wine. 13.5% abv.
Purchased for $50US, this is an incredibly complex offering that still has years of life left.
Imported by Wilson Daniels, Saint Helena, CA.
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First bottle. Wow. Pale lemon yellow, nose of smoke infused white flowers and nectarine with a saline tinged finish. A baby, and under screw cap will have a long life. Early days so I suggest this is only now getting into its stride. Everybody compares this with 1er cru white burgundy. Why bother? Obviously, Puligny Montrachet is bigger than you think and includes parts of Auckland.
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Decanted 2 hours. Medium dark yellow. Nose is quite intense - floral with a mineral backdrop. Palate shows citrus orchard fruit, intense acidity and a mineral streak. Not the longest final but still quite long.
This is expressive and very nicely balanced and shows admirable complexity. Very convincing winemaking and great value.
Very delicious but not, perhaps, as sophisticated as a Burgundian competitor - shares some things I've enjoyed from 1er cru (sophisticated smoky nose, length, creamy texture, the overall sense this is really well-made) but there are hints of tropical fruit that seem too unsubtle. Maybe more to my taste in a year or two. Still good value (compared to CdB, anyway).
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A very majestic Chardonnay. I think it is perhaps a tad young, and would like to taste it when older, but boy is this firing on many cylinders already.
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Planted in 1990 and 100% barrel fermented. Tension and texture is the idea. And they compare often with puligny and chassagne. And apparently the 2000 vintage is still going strong. The second generation is the first master of wine in New Zealand. Endless on the palate.
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Pale gold in color, this wine reveals intense aromas of tropical fruit on the nose, including banana, guava and pineapple. The mouth feel is fuller bodied with smoke and tangerine undertones. The finish is long and complex and brings out the breathtaking fruit as well as a defined saline but pleasant element. A delicious wine. 13.5% abv.
Purchased for $50US, this is an incredibly complex offering that still has years of life left.
Imported by Wilson Daniels, Saint Helena, CA.
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“Everything in its place” is how Jancis put it. A nearly perfect wine. Bold components executed with precision. On day four, at room temp, it’s singing it’s denouement. Uniquely New Zealand. An uplifted zippy fruit freshness with vanilla spice integrated into slippy malo and citric acids.
Concentrated, acidic, buttery, and full of explosive ripe pear, starfruit, and butterscotch.
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Lutefisk and BYO: Blind. Some gunpowder/sulphur, citrus, melon; very smooth mouth feel, lowish acid, quite long, big bodied, not much of a finish to speak of.
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Delicious. Bags of Burgundian style fruit and a long finish. Can't seem to keep my hands off these so seem to already be halfway through the case. Need to try and hold off to see what this is like with a decent bit of age as I suspect it will be great..
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Very nice; I'd like to see this at maturity because it's quite Puligny like. Lemony creamy chardonnay, a bit on the plump side. I hope it gains complexity from here.
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A really interesting and complex chard! Lots of melony and appley notes, rich and minerally on the palate. Excellente food wine, with a medium - long finish. Really electrifying!
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Two years ago it seems I wrote that this was too young and needed to be tried in two years. Well I did. And it's still too young. Signs are good for the future though and it has all the structure to go a long way.
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Light to medium yellow color with a nose that is lightly floral and quite minerally. The palate is bright with medium acidity yet quit layered with fruit like citrus, apple and tropicals. While good I seem to always prefer the Coddington Vineyard bottling.
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Touches of smoke on the nose. And some fruit there as it opens up. Lush on the palate, but lilthe as well. And crispy on the finish. Darn good drinking Chardonnay.
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Back label claims, ''pear, citrus aromas, mouth-filling texture, good length, needs 4-6 yrs bottle maturation.'' I buy all that, this is a Burgundian-style chardonnay with a restrained class, though it's less powerful/concentrated that I remember previous vintages being.
C.....pale straw, looks med-H body.
N....maybe too much wood? Some nice vanilla, peach skin, pears and citrus - as they claim - it's seductive and charming.
T.....yes, it's ''mouth-filling.'' Big soft malo impression, some limestone/clay minerals, sound steely core structure, is pretty dry. There's a good essence of flavour at the end. Very 'French' (for a NZ chardonnay). This Mate's Vineyard label doesn't seem to have the power of their Hunting Hill Vineyard chardonnay, though this is still very good wine. Probably more a Food wine than a Glugger. Not yet mature, but drinking very well right now.
VFM? At around £27 it's no bargain, I'd say it's slightly over-priced.
Pale yellow. Spiced apple, tropical fruit and well done acidity. This was better, deeper and more complex as it warmed up to cellar temperature. The oak treatment is just right when the wine is not too cold.
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SLDS March 2017 (Rocket): Smoky oak, lemon, lime, peach and orange. Quite decadent on the palate, the richness and youth of the fruit really pushing to the fore. Good length, I suspect this will grow and gain more enjoyment if given time.
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Complex nose of citrus, floral, popcorn, apples and pears. Fresh round acidity. Relatively light to medium body. Long finish. The impression is that it got better day 2.
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Light straw colored. Big time nose of tropical fruit. This is packed with pineapple, mango, ripe golden delicious apple and well integrated vanilla. There is some citrus notes. Huge finish. Great balance in a big and complex wine. Wow!
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Beautiful rich nose of hazelnut, toast, cream, minerals, and lychee. Great palate. Good structure, but also good energy. Just a touch short. Very fine.
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Quite rich aroma of puligny like smokiness and minerality, lime, lemon zest, jasmine floral, vanilla and some hazelnuts. Similar flavour in mouth, medium body, balancing acidity. Broad, round already and very long.
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Mendoza clone % new oak – I think its 30 or 35? Check As always, this is the most concentrated Chardonnay in the range, a little taciturn on the nose but suggesting a gentle, delicately fragrant pear blossom character. The power and intensity is very clear on the palate, with some lovely sweet fruit but also great lift and, like the whole range, a perfectly balanced and dry finish.
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10/20/2023 - DFBW Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drinking extremely well right now but still feels youthful with slightly green tinges to balance the intense Chardonnay fruit. Fresh, crisp and yet deep. Beautiful
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6/18/2023 - Mbad77 wrote: 92 Points
Half Century Magnum Lunch (La Trompette) (London): From magnum maybe a 92+. Perhaps a little overwhelmed by the quality of the flight and perhaps having 4 in flight was a little too much as the Raveneau and Alvina Pernot at 1 and 2 really did take stage. This should have been the first.
Like green tinge to it compared to others and this perhaps appears on the palate. Oak is in a nice place now and a good bottle, not really moved from previous bottles
Less open and rich compared to the burgundies with it. Showing sharper acidity
Very good
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6/17/2023 - lozatron Likes this wine:
Magnum Mike's Half Century Blow Out (La Trompette): My handwritten notes on this comprised a single word - "standard". This is just as it should be - it's tasted the same from bottle and mag, and seems to just stay the same. A bit more tropical fruit, a bit more richness on the finish than the burgs.
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6/16/2023 - DAN BAILEY wrote:
From magnum. Bit of matchstick reduction. Pure, minerally and refreshing but a tad sweet.
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6/16/2023 - NickA Likes this wine: 93 Points
Magnum Mike's Magnificent Half Century (La Trompette): Magnum. We had another mag of this a few months back, and although I've given this another '93' I think it was a hair behind that one, lacking its extreme sense of precision. The wine's still definitely in a good place though, the acidity and reduction being in excellent balance, especially with some air time. The lovely combination of toast and crisp lime also remained!
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2/22/2023 - lozatron Likes this wine:
Simon Beatty Memorial Dinner - Chablis Le Clos (Noizé): Served from magnum - poured first as the Champagne was held up underground. This was lovely, some lemon, lemon curd, precision and acidity. This was the wine that won the famous chardonnay shoot out and one could see why. Promising start.
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2/21/2023 - NickA Likes this wine: 93 Points
Simon Beatty Memorial Dinner - Les Clos table (Noize): Magnum, and decanted. I've had this wine twice before (in 2019 and 2022) and this showing was by far the best, not sharing the previous bottle's faults of being too tropical and too reductive, respectively. Balanced and sophisticated, the reduction adding some matchsticky interest, plenty of tempting lemon/lime fruit and a sense of focus and precision. Delicious wine!
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2/21/2023 - Vinumming & Ahhing Likes this wine: 93 Points
Simon Beatty's Memorial Dinner - Table 2 - Richebourg (Noizé, London): From magnum after 3 hours in a decanter. Lime juice and white currant puree here. So balanced, so long. Not a vintage of this wine I'd had before but it's cracking. See why this did so well in the blind new world vs Burg tasting a few years ago.
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11/6/2022 - sjfunkenhauser wrote: 94 Points
Pale lemon colour.
High intensity aromas of almonds, brioche, hazelnut, toffee, nutmeg, cloves, lemon, pear, peach, canteloupe, wet stone, honey, cream.
Pronounced palate.
Medium (+) body, high acidity, long finish.
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11/1/2022 - Irish_Wine wrote: 94 Points
Pale lemon.
Pronounced on the nose with ripe apple, pear, peach, pineapple, wet stone, toast, vanilla, cream, butterscotch, and almond. Developing.
Pronounced and dry on the palate with hazlenut. Medium plus acidity, medium alcohol, full body, long finish.
Can drink now but has potential for aging or further.
By far the best of the Kumeu River wines tasted in the same sitting, got close to an amazing Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru but not quite. Fantastic wine. Worth giving it some air to open up.
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10/29/2022 - empire80 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Double decanted to blow off the hint of gunsmoke, this developed in the glass to be a gorgeous, minerally, concentrated, focused wine. Could be a GC Chassagne Montrachet (but not at this price!!). Great now but feels like it is only just coming in to a long drinking window.
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9/24/2022 - Philip67 wrote: 91 Points
Generous mouthfeel, good freshness, Burgundyesque. Grapefruit, lime, lemon and a saline tang. Medium finish, straightforward. Still retains it's youth, no signs of tertiary at this juncture. Drink now and over the next 5 to 10 years.
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7/27/2022 - mcar20156 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Benefits from an hour of air. Like a tarte tatin in the glass. Beautiful.
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5/21/2022 - Mulvk Likes this wine: 94 Points
Beautiful. Citrus, apple, custard. No need to rush next bottle.
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4/16/2022 - rustyRudy Likes this wine: 93 Points
Light yellow, moderately intense nose, rich tropical fruits, pineapple, lemon curd
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3/25/2022 - Radders12345 Likes this wine: 92 Points
North London TWS Tastings series: Chardonnay and Pinot Noir (Must and Lees, N1): Nose of green apple flesh and lemon peel. A light hint of sweetness and a tinge of reduction. Quite subtle on the nose
This is lovely on the palate. Ripening apple, lemon juice, grapefruit. Balanced medium plus acidity.
First time trying Kumeu river and seems good to me
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3/24/2022 - NickA Likes this wine: 90 Points
Chardonnays and Pinots of North London (Must & Lees): Three years ago I noted that this wine was too tropical in feel, and now my impression was that it was rather too lean! Very linear despite the dominant notes being icing sugar and cream as well as citrus. Classy stuff, but too severe for me to enjoy it particularly.
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3/24/2022 - ricard wrote: 92 Points
Some reduction here on the nose, but not extreme. Lemony and lean, lacking complexity and depth but it has poise, elegance and grace that's aesthetically appealing. I need more though, than just elegance. I need soul.
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3/24/2022 - oenanthe Likes this wine: 88 Points
North London TWS Tastings series: Chardonnay and Pinot Noir (Must and Lees, N1): A touch of reduction on the nose. Strongly mineral and searing acidity. A sense of absolute strictness. Even at eight years I think this needs more time.
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11/21/2021 - DFBW Likes this wine: 91 Points
Been a while since I checked in on this and in a very good place right now. Lovely fruit and depth with a long lingering finish. No hurry for the rest..
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6/16/2021 - cweiner Likes this wine: 91 Points
Last bottle- had hoped for more. Bone dry to the point of astringency. Simple, few over tones.
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6/1/2021 - finewinebuff57 wrote: 91 Points
All Kumeu River Chardonnays need time. This is beginning to drink beautifully, but will certainly last. Splendid.
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2/13/2021 - BHRH Likes this wine: 92 Points
Similar to my 7/19/20 TN. Terrific structure in this wine, without being overly acidic. Great length on the fruit - let it slow ox for 20+minutes in glass, but might have even needed a quick decant. Has many years of life left! 92+
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1/22/2021 - oldwines Likes this wine: 94 Points
PnP and tasted over 2+ hours. My last bottle of this was over 2 years ago and the added time in bottle seems to have really helped mellow this wine out and give it a richer and rounder, more complete texture and flavor profile. The wine is a bright lemon yellow with a tinge of green. The nose is quite layered and presents a little differently over time. First very lemony and minerally, then with the addition of lime zest and light stone fruit, followed by some apple and just a hint of cream. The palate is beautifully textured both light and lithe on the tongue then more weighty and dense. Full of all the flavors in the nose and bright with acidity but less overpowering than previously. Open and inviting, still with minerals on the rather long finish. This paired nicely with pan sautéed Maine Black Sea Bass and buerre blanc also was very interesting with homemade sourdough bread, goat cheese, apple and fennel. Beautiful!
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11/21/2020 - empire80 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very focused, minerally, white peach, a hint of flower and even white pepper? Powerful and yet restrained. Feels very young, will be interesting to see how this develops. Upgraded a point to 92 as it developed in the glass.
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11/20/2020 - PeterFrancis Likes this wine: 92 Points
First taste of this vineyard. Good colour, not too dark. Tropical fruit with a touch of smoke on nose. Rich then lush mid-palate with decent acidity. Taste consistent with initial aromas. Persistent and fairly powerful. Seems quite young. Certainly no hurry - expect it to gather a bit of nuance with some more time.
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11/13/2020 - andreel Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drinking very nicely, quite burgundian. Best not to serve too cold.
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10/12/2020 - cweiner Likes this wine: 94 Points
Delightful, light and dry but with lovely fruit on the palate
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9/21/2020 - rwpalmer wrote: 90 Points
Powerful wine. More gun flint than fruit on the nose. I was disappointed by this as it made the wine feel more "made" and lacking a sense of place.
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8/3/2020 - ProfAvi Likes this wine: 93 Points
I got the bottle out of the fridge and poured myself a glass.
I then went off to do a few chores and when I came back into the room I could smell the wine from meters away. Promising I thought. Citrussy smoky, flinty, struck match on the nose with a hint of apple/ quince; pale, lemon gold colour; nutty, creamy, melon on the palate with a zip of acidity - I like a bit more of a zip but pleasing aftertaste nevertheless that lasts and finishes with an (apricot?) kernel note.
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7/16/2020 - BHRH Likes this wine: 92 Points
Oh yeah - this wine is cooking! Nicely aging, showing more secondary nuances. Stone fruits, citrus, spices and a bit of charred oak on the nose. Electric fruit on the palate - green apples, some tropical notes, and some Burgundian oak. Great acid balance - superb with food. Still has plenty of legs. 92+
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5/14/2020 - gtonn Likes this wine: 92 Points
Beautiful wine. The years on this have done nothing to hurt
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1/18/2020 - Bearbus wrote:
Underripe green nectarine / lime / green apricot / honeydew right at the skin / green mango, nice hint of mercaptan-saltiness. Slight glycerol, raw blanched almond, salivation-inducing acidity, slightly bitter pithiness in the finish.
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10/20/2019 - tak4 Likes this wine:
Didn't do a formal tasting note at the time. Typically lovely for Kumeu River. With a few years of age this wine also mellowed out a bit.
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10/15/2019 - RED AND BLACK wrote: 92 Points
Superb white, better than expected and great price
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9/2/2019 - cuffthis Likes this wine: 94 Points
Consistent with previous bottle. Pale gold in color, this wine reveals intense aromas of tropical fruit on the nose, including banana, guava and pineapple. The mouth feel is fuller bodied with smoke and tangerine undertones. The finish is long and complex and brings out the breathtaking fruit as well as a defined saline but pleasant element. A delicious wine. 13.5% abv.
Purchased for $50US, this is an incredibly complex offering that still has years of life left.
Imported by Wilson Daniels, Saint Helena, CA.
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8/24/2019 - Geoff7777 wrote:
First bottle. Wow. Pale lemon yellow, nose of smoke infused white flowers and nectarine with a saline tinged finish. A baby, and under screw cap will have a long life. Early days so I suggest this is only now getting into its stride. Everybody compares this with 1er cru white burgundy. Why bother? Obviously, Puligny Montrachet is bigger than you think and includes parts of Auckland.
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5/26/2019 - WoodieBayArea wrote:
another nice bottle of this wine, needs airing out for sure but good for its level...
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5/23/2019 - David Meddings wrote: 91 Points
Decanted 2 hours. Medium dark yellow. Nose is quite intense - floral with a mineral backdrop. Palate shows citrus orchard fruit, intense acidity and a mineral streak. Not the longest final but still quite long.
This is expressive and very nicely balanced and shows admirable complexity. Very convincing winemaking and great value.
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5/3/2019 - NickA Likes this wine: 90 Points
Very delicious but not, perhaps, as sophisticated as a Burgundian competitor - shares some things I've enjoyed from 1er cru (sophisticated smoky nose, length, creamy texture, the overall sense this is really well-made) but there are hints of tropical fruit that seem too unsubtle. Maybe more to my taste in a year or two. Still good value (compared to CdB, anyway).
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4/15/2019 - Nojomoschwa Likes this wine: 94 Points
A very majestic Chardonnay. I think it is perhaps a tad young, and would like to taste it when older, but boy is this firing on many cylinders already.
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4/15/2019 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Planted in 1990 and 100% barrel fermented. Tension and texture is the idea. And they compare often with puligny and chassagne. And apparently the 2000 vintage is still going strong. The second generation is the first master of wine in New Zealand. Endless on the palate.
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4/4/2019 - cuffthis Likes this wine: 94 Points
Pale gold in color, this wine reveals intense aromas of tropical fruit on the nose, including banana, guava and pineapple. The mouth feel is fuller bodied with smoke and tangerine undertones. The finish is long and complex and brings out the breathtaking fruit as well as a defined saline but pleasant element. A delicious wine. 13.5% abv.
Purchased for $50US, this is an incredibly complex offering that still has years of life left.
Imported by Wilson Daniels, Saint Helena, CA.
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3/27/2019 - Elycohn Likes this wine: 96 Points
“Everything in its place” is how Jancis put it. A nearly perfect wine. Bold components executed with precision. On day four, at room temp, it’s singing it’s denouement. Uniquely New Zealand. An uplifted zippy fruit freshness with vanilla spice integrated into slippy malo and citric acids.
Concentrated, acidic, buttery, and full of explosive ripe pear, starfruit, and butterscotch.
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12/16/2018 - LWI wrote: 90 Points
Lutefisk and BYO: Blind. Some gunpowder/sulphur, citrus, melon; very smooth mouth feel, lowish acid, quite long, big bodied, not much of a finish to speak of.
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11/16/2018 - DFBW Likes this wine: 91 Points
Delicious. Bags of Burgundian style fruit and a long finish. Can't seem to keep my hands off these so seem to already be halfway through the case. Need to try and hold off to see what this is like with a decent bit of age as I suspect it will be great..
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11/12/2018 - englishman's claret wrote: 92 Points
Very nice; I'd like to see this at maturity because it's quite Puligny like. Lemony creamy chardonnay, a bit on the plump side. I hope it gains complexity from here.
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9/8/2018 - BHRH Likes this wine: 92 Points
A really interesting and complex chard! Lots of melony and appley notes, rich and minerally on the palate. Excellente food wine, with a medium - long finish. Really electrifying!
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7/15/2018 - DFBW Likes this wine: 90 Points
Two years ago it seems I wrote that this was too young and needed to be tried in two years. Well I did. And it's still too young. Signs are good for the future though and it has all the structure to go a long way.
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6/15/2018 - SimonG wrote:
Paul & Keith’s Old World v New World Chardonnay Challenge (La Trompette, London): Blind. Guessed NW. Pale. Quite clean, lean, fresh nose. A touch of pear and melon. Some grip. Pale. Quite chewy. ****
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6/2/2018 - oldwines Likes this wine: 91 Points
Light to medium yellow color with a nose that is lightly floral and quite minerally. The palate is bright with medium acidity yet quit layered with fruit like citrus, apple and tropicals. While good I seem to always prefer the Coddington Vineyard bottling.
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3/23/2018 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Touches of smoke on the nose. And some fruit there as it opens up. Lush on the palate, but lilthe as well. And crispy on the finish. Darn good drinking Chardonnay.
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2/4/2018 - Callum's Corkers Likes this wine: 89 Points
Screw cap. Tasted at 9 degrees c.
Back label claims, ''pear, citrus aromas, mouth-filling texture, good length, needs 4-6 yrs bottle maturation.'' I buy all that, this is a Burgundian-style chardonnay with a restrained class, though it's less powerful/concentrated that I remember previous vintages being.
C.....pale straw, looks med-H body.
N....maybe too much wood? Some nice vanilla, peach skin, pears and citrus - as they claim - it's seductive and charming.
T.....yes, it's ''mouth-filling.'' Big soft malo impression, some limestone/clay minerals, sound steely core structure, is pretty dry. There's a good essence of flavour at the end. Very 'French' (for a NZ chardonnay). This Mate's Vineyard label doesn't seem to have the power of their Hunting Hill Vineyard chardonnay, though this is still very good wine. Probably more a Food wine than a Glugger. Not yet mature, but drinking very well right now.
VFM? At around £27 it's no bargain, I'd say it's slightly over-priced.
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12/16/2017 - Raizes Likes this wine: 90 Points
开瓶香气四溢,香料烘干的苹果、烤玉米、芝士蛋糕、糖渍青梅。酸度非常棒,酒的框架很清晰,只是中后段酒精感稍微有一点强。质感算不上很细腻,但是入口的集中度很好,回味也很长。
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11/30/2017 - rustyRudy Likes this wine: 93 Points
Pale yellow. Spiced apple, tropical fruit and well done acidity. This was better, deeper and more complex as it warmed up to cellar temperature. The oak treatment is just right when the wine is not too cold.
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9/2/2017 - Gece Likes this wine: 92 Points
Sweet yellow fruit, very good acidity, and rock hard minerality. Opulent without being overdone. Brilliant.
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3/15/2017 - CamWheeler wrote: 90 Points
SLDS March 2017 (Rocket): Smoky oak, lemon, lime, peach and orange. Quite decadent on the palate, the richness and youth of the fruit really pushing to the fore. Good length, I suspect this will grow and gain more enjoyment if given time.
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11/22/2016 - Mascarello59 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Complex nose of citrus, floral, popcorn, apples and pears. Fresh round acidity. Relatively light to medium body. Long finish. The impression is that it got better day 2.
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11/21/2016 - andrewdodd86 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Nose is more tropical fruit but restrained. Great minerality. Touch of grassiness? More Burgundian than California. Really solid wine.
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11/21/2016 - rustyRudy wrote: 97 Points
Light straw colored. Big time nose of tropical fruit. This is packed with pineapple, mango, ripe golden delicious apple and well integrated vanilla. There is some citrus notes. Huge finish. Great balance in a big and complex wine. Wow!
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10/14/2016 - wineordeath Likes this wine: 93 Points
Beautiful rich nose of hazelnut, toast, cream, minerals, and lychee. Great palate. Good structure, but also good energy. Just a touch short. Very fine.
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8/15/2016 - wineappellation Likes this wine: 92 Points
Quite rich aroma of puligny like smokiness and minerality, lime, lemon zest, jasmine floral, vanilla and some hazelnuts. Similar flavour in mouth, medium body, balancing acidity. Broad, round already and very long.
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3/5/2016 - DFBW wrote: 89 Points
Way too young to be drunk now. Give it a couple of years.
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9/18/2015 - Shrewsram Likes this wine: 94 Points
Mendoza clone
% new oak – I think its 30 or 35? Check
As always, this is the most concentrated Chardonnay in the range, a little taciturn on the nose but suggesting a gentle, delicately fragrant pear blossom character. The power and intensity is very clear on the palate, with some lovely sweet fruit but also great lift and, like the whole range, a perfectly balanced and dry finish.
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