Wow… leather on the nose. Like Barolo leather. From a goddamn white. Palate is as complex and curvy as one can find. Bruised red apple, just a touch astringent to finish, interestingly candle wax and a touch of camphor. Nose eventually shifts into vanilla cupcake frosting, maple syrup, caramel, cotton candy. BQ and I agree — as if a kid took his Halloween candy and dumped it in a pot and turned the heat on. Just at the end of the drinking window. @ Oiji Mi
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nose: honey, red date, brioche, butter Notes: I've been very lucky to find a very reputable restaurant with a very generously priced wine list so this was my choice of white for the night. I think the 2004 Judge is a bit on the sweet side (actually it's Chardonnay had similar aroma and palate also) but it's very delicious. With an interesting mix of sweet nose such as honey and red date together with the toasty nose of brioche and butter, this wine is rather sensational. I consider Kongsgaard to be the best Chardonnay maker in the US and I think this wine will be the perfect evidence to my thesis. Inevitably a top Burgundy will demonstrate more finesse in both the nose and palate but I think the Kongsgaard is every bit as intense as a grand cru Burgundy white. The 04 Judge is fully mature and I believe it's time to drink up without any hesitation. I think we should be able to enjoy this for 5 more years before it deteriorates. Drink: Now - 2027 Rating: 94
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
opened about 50 minutes prior to serving. Very caramelized and sweet nose, with vanilla. Overripe as I had feared and hot on the palate. Mineral and flint notes, with almost a little acetone. After 1½ hours the nose turned really buttery.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
BYO - US wines (Trio): Mature and still quite fresh with nice flavors of candied melon. Opens up very nicely in the glass! Lovely wine and it is a privilege to taste the first vintage of this wine!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Väldigt speciellt vin med denna oxidativa stil. Massor av honung, karamell, bränt socker men samtidigt en relativt frisk fin frukt. Väldigt djup och rikt med lång eftersmak. Snudd på mer ett dessertvin än en matvin.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Strong meaty chard with lots of white fruit. The Kongsgaard chards have a reputation of being done in an oxidative style and this one exemplifies that house style. If you don't like it, this can easily be mistaken for premox but this is different with no madeira flavor.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I think this may just be the finest Chard from Napa... I have also said that this wine at $175 (on release) is a better buy, in my opinion, than their regular chardonnay bottling at $75. I'll put it up against most Grand Cru White Burgundies... Drink up though...
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Color is a honey, almost amber. Nose is deep and rich. The wine is honey and caramel and delicious but not like a typical chardonnay at this stage of its life. I brought it to accompany a white truffle pasta dish and it would have clashed. My friend believed it would go better with cheese; not being a cheese guy I can't say but it's almost a dessert wine at this point. Drink with this in mind and you'll love it; do not drink if you are expecting typical chardonnay, and do not drink at all if you want something from the Côte de Beaune.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Deep color, almost going towards red. Big, rich and powerful. Unfortunately it is a touch oxidized. First time I've had a Kongsgaard that was a bit oxidized. Still, you can feel how good this wine was.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
only opened and decanted 45 minutes before I got to the restaurant. As it turned out this wine really needed more close to 1½ hours of decanting time, as I had been doing before. Without sufficient aeration the alcohol was too sharp in the nose, much like paint thinner. This faded gradually. Very sweet and caramelized on the nose, a little like cotton candy, with lemon, straw and finally toasty notes after 2 hours. Drank reasonably well but slightly disappointed.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very big, sweet and massive. Lots of acidity and everybody were suitably impressed but I think this bottle was bordering on being flabby. Very impressive though.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
spent about 45 minutes in the decanter itself before being poured back into the bottle. When we finally poured it into glass and started drinking some 1½ hours after I pulled the cork, my friends liked the nose but I found it to be still very tight. I kept complaining that the wine hadn't opened up but my friends thought the nose was showing pretty well... Two hours into dinner, the nose finally blossomed and revealed its beauty, and my friends finally understood why I had been unhappy for the last two hours! Sweet, very ripe, smooth and buttery, with toasty oak, lemon, straw and honey. Alcoholic on the finish. Still going very strong more than 4 hours after opening. Not as good as the 2003 that blew me away last month, but still an incredibly good wine. Next time I'll decant it for at least 2 hours...
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Impressive! Looks like a Sauternes when it pours. Viscous, with lots of honeysuckle, apricots but still enough acidity and in the end it hits you with a lot of minerality. Very long aftertaste.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Deep gold in colour and smells like no chardonnay that I've known (you know were this is going). Completely maderized. You can tell that there was a great wine in here before with gobs of fruit, but its shot.
It's so far gone that I think I should figure out how to turn it in to a great vinegar.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very nice but not to the levels this wine soared to closer to release. Just a hint of sherry starting to poke through at the back end of the palate. It goes without saying that this was a very lush wine with gobs of tropical fruit and creaminess.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
i just dont get these wines. the nose is nice, but i found it a bit over oaked. it was not harsh, but the fruit didnot come through as much as i would have hoped
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Aromatically, an exotic and expressive type nose, along with a hint of smoke. Lemon oil, orange marmalade, smoky tones and vanilla, with acidity filling in on the finish. This has unique qualities, with the total expression of the wine showing something I don't normally get in chardonnay but I wonder very much about the price point. I did appreciate the opportunity to taste it and judge it for myself.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Big Cabs With The Boys (Houston's): Huge nose of spiced baked fruits. More baked fruit character on a thick ripe palate. Made me think of a dry dessert wine. Definitely on the cocktail end of the spectrum. Not of my favorite style but I know of lots of people this would appeal to.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Overpriced Cabs (Houston's): Pricing aside, I ended up enjoying this wine. At first it was rather dull but by the end of the evening it became a tasty cocktail with just enough acidity to keep me awake. The biggest down side is its sweetness. Actually candy sweet so I would probably only be able to take 1 glass. I am very curious where this will be in 4 or 5 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A classic Cali Chard and typical of Kongsgaard style, with loads of toasty oak and vanilla. With the second pour came lots of sweet butter, tropical fruit and smoke. Very ripe on the palate with a slightly spicy finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
California tasting with the "No Name" wine club in Copenhagen. (Kenneths place): Wow.. Was very impressed with this wine. Basically it seems overdone and to powerful but it is still in its own type of balance. Complex flavours and a wine that just keeps building in the nose and mouth. I simply adore the butter in this wine!! HUGE wine but a wine that some would love to hate :-)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
My first Judge. Rich nose of tropical flavors. Color was quite light. We gave it at least 30 mins in the decanter and even though there's no question this was a big wine with a long finish, it was stil very tight and the flavors were quite primary. The most noticeable aspect was the alchohol (not neccessarily hot in a way that burns your throat). We might have caught this bottle at an awkward phase. Will wait a few years to try again while I drink the standard Chardonnay.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
The wine had a very unusual carmel overtone that seemed to replace the typical butter or oak of a traditional California chardoney. Not what I expected from a med/young Kongsgaard, but I truely enjoyed it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Initially I was blown away by the viscous liquid. It poured like so think and rich. The nose was like a vanilla bomb. Finish was rich complex and every so long lasting. It was very reminicent of the Aubert wines however the Judge kept the acid in check. The high acid and heavy oils in most chards keeps me from drinking all night. The Judge kept acid in balance, and no hint of anything oily. Just a delcious vanilla bomb.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Jumble oaky mess. oh no.. I thought this was incredible, It is probably the best Kongsgaard I have ever had, but yes it is an oaky, rich chardonnay. -cld
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very concentrated Chardonnay--really hit me in the face with butter and oak. A wow wine. I wish I had more to let it breath a bit....It probably would have been more complex by doing so.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Shafer Hillside Select Vertical Dinner (1989-2002) (California Club, Los Angeles, CA): Another very good chardonnay, but to be honest, I really don't get it. Very similar to the regular bottling -- same notes of poached pears and tropical fruits. The main difference, however, was the texture, which was glycerol-like in its viscosity. Not sure the unctuousness warrants the price of this wine, but it was very nice to drink.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Medium nose, hints of vanilla, strawberry, rock after first rain, pepper and pear. Opened for 45 minutes before drinking and it still needed another 30 minutes to really open up. Has that unique Vanilla Oakey taste that only Kongsgaard can achieve without seeming overdone. Extremely long finish, seems to last forever. You can feel it in your mouth 2 - 3 minutes after each drink. Has the most perfect hint of butter on your tongue. Still retains a little heat but it is perfectly balanced with the fruit.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Super-duper concentrated. Crazy nose: coffee, butterscotch, some coconut, butter, vanilla, melon, tropical fruit. Benefits considerably from decanting. Very full-bodied. Elegant in its own way (like a linebacker in a tailored suit). It’s very difficult not to love this, even if BIG California Chardonnay is not your thing. This is just exceptionally well-made wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Butterscotch and typical cali chard flavors on the nose, some mineral. Big and creamy, but a fruit-forward type of big rather than a tensely structured wine. Montrachet fruit and mouthfeel, Chassagne-Montrachet structure, and Languedoc alcohol....and yes, it does show, big time. Spearmint undertones. Has a really patrician feel, and no mistaking this for an ordinary wine, but, while very enjoyable, just not special. Mouth tingling alcohol – don’t try and swish it or it really burns.
A second bottle two days later was served considerably colder - less alcohol and more mineral. A better showing at ~45F.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Wow! Absolutely amazing! Beautiful smokey nose of apricot and lemon, but what really stood out was the caramel/creme brulee aromas and a wonderful minerality. Full bodied and silky with an exceptionally long finish. When I finished drinking it I kept the glass so I could keep smelling it. I haven't had enough CA chards to say this is a perfect chard (hence the 99) but I can't imagine a better wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
After all the hype, I had to try one even though it's early. Parker uses the word "surreal" and that's precisely the right word. Golden straw colored -- I wouldn't call it deep...a bit more like a Marcassin. The nose is an explosion of honey and caramel. This is a mouth coating wine, with butter / creme brulee and a hint of minerality. The finish lasts 45 seconds. I'm sure it will only improve with age. Ranks up there with some of the older Aubert-made Peter Michael Point Rouge as the best white I think I've ever had (I have yet to have a DRC Montrachet).
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
2/4/2023 - ash_then_chase wrote: 93 Points
Wow… leather on the nose. Like Barolo leather. From a goddamn white. Palate is as complex and curvy as one can find. Bruised red apple, just a touch astringent to finish, interestingly candle wax and a touch of camphor. Nose eventually shifts into vanilla cupcake frosting, maple syrup, caramel, cotton candy. BQ and I agree — as if a kid took his Halloween candy and dumped it in a pot and turned the heat on. Just at the end of the drinking window. @ Oiji Mi
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/11/2022 - TWSA Likes this wine: 94 Points
Nose: honey, red date, brioche, butter
Notes: I've been very lucky to find a very reputable restaurant with a very generously priced wine list so this was my choice of white for the night. I think the 2004 Judge is a bit on the sweet side (actually it's Chardonnay had similar aroma and palate also) but it's very delicious. With an interesting mix of sweet nose such as honey and red date together with the toasty nose of brioche and butter, this wine is rather sensational. I consider Kongsgaard to be the best Chardonnay maker in the US and I think this wine will be the perfect evidence to my thesis. Inevitably a top Burgundy will demonstrate more finesse in both the nose and palate but I think the Kongsgaard is every bit as intense as a grand cru Burgundy white. The 04 Judge is fully mature and I believe it's time to drink up without any hesitation. I think we should be able to enjoy this for 5 more years before it deteriorates.
Drink: Now - 2027
Rating: 94
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/6/2019 - Herb K wrote:
I am astounded by how this ‘04 has shed so gracefully. Still delicious. Truly a “Grand Cru” of CA!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/8/2018 - Peech wrote: 90 Points
opened about 50 minutes prior to serving. Very caramelized and sweet nose, with vanilla. Overripe as I had feared and hot on the palate. Mineral and flint notes, with almost a little acetone. After 1½ hours the nose turned really buttery.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/5/2018 - Burgundy Al wrote: flawed
Chardonnay Shootout: Burgundy vs New World, Double Blind (Booth One - Chicago IL): Badly oxidized. I was able to correctly identify this (double blind) as a New World Chardonnay.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/31/2018 - Naplesgolfer wrote: flawed
flawed
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/28/2017 - canan wrote: 94 Points
BYO - US wines (Trio): Mature and still quite fresh with nice flavors of candied melon.
Opens up very nicely in the glass! Lovely wine and it is a privilege to taste the first vintage of this wine!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/5/2017 - dannagle wrote:
Over the hill!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/3/2016 - Herb K wrote:
It's about to go over "that hill" any day now. Holding on by a thread.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/25/2015 - nvandyk wrote: flawed
This once glorious bottling is beginning to madeirize and is no longer enjoyable, unfortunately.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/7/2015 - FamilyLarsson wrote: 91 Points
Väldigt speciellt vin med denna oxidativa stil. Massor av honung, karamell, bränt socker men samtidigt en relativt frisk fin frukt. Väldigt djup och rikt med lång eftersmak. Snudd på mer ett dessertvin än en matvin.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/16/2015 - Jay Hack Likes this wine: 92 Points
Strong meaty chard with lots of white fruit. The Kongsgaard chards have a reputation of being done in an oxidative style and this one exemplifies that house style. If you don't like it, this can easily be mistaken for premox but this is different with no madeira flavor.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/1/2014 - Herb K wrote:
I think this may just be the finest Chard from Napa... I have also said that this wine at $175 (on release) is a better buy, in my opinion, than their regular chardonnay bottling at $75. I'll put it up against most Grand Cru White Burgundies... Drink up though...
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/19/2014 - nvandyk wrote: 95 Points
Color is a honey, almost amber. Nose is deep and rich. The wine is honey and caramel and delicious but not like a typical chardonnay at this stage of its life. I brought it to accompany a white truffle pasta dish and it would have clashed. My friend believed it would go better with cheese; not being a cheese guy I can't say but it's almost a dessert wine at this point. Drink with this in mind and you'll love it; do not drink if you are expecting typical chardonnay, and do not drink at all if you want something from the Côte de Beaune.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/25/2014 - Herb K wrote:
Agree with the prior taster... A bit oxidized, which was surprising for the '04
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/20/2014 - phenricsson wrote: 92 Points
Deep color, almost going towards red. Big, rich and powerful. Unfortunately it is a touch oxidized. First time I've had a Kongsgaard that was a bit oxidized. Still, you can feel how good this wine was.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/18/2013 - Peech Likes this wine: 93 Points
only opened and decanted 45 minutes before I got to the restaurant. As it turned out this wine really needed more close to 1½ hours of decanting time, as I had been doing before. Without sufficient aeration the alcohol was too sharp in the nose, much like paint thinner. This faded gradually. Very sweet and caramelized on the nose, a little like cotton candy, with lemon, straw and finally toasty notes after 2 hours. Drank reasonably well but slightly disappointed.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/19/2011 - phenricsson wrote: 96 Points
Very big, sweet and massive. Lots of acidity and everybody were suitably impressed but I think this bottle was bordering on being flabby. Very impressive though.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/24/2011 - Peech Likes this wine: 95 Points
spent about 45 minutes in the decanter itself before being poured back into the bottle. When we finally poured it into glass and started drinking some 1½ hours after I pulled the cork, my friends liked the nose but I found it to be still very tight. I kept complaining that the wine hadn't opened up but my friends thought the nose was showing pretty well... Two hours into dinner, the nose finally blossomed and revealed its beauty, and my friends finally understood why I had been unhappy for the last two hours! Sweet, very ripe, smooth and buttery, with toasty oak, lemon, straw and honey. Alcoholic on the finish. Still going very strong more than 4 hours after opening. Not as good as the 2003 that blew me away last month, but still an incredibly good wine. Next time I'll decant it for at least 2 hours...
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/20/2010 - phenricsson wrote: 98 Points
Impressive! Looks like a Sauternes when it pours. Viscous, with lots of honeysuckle, apricots but still enough acidity and in the end it hits you with a lot of minerality. Very long aftertaste.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/25/2009 - ken-yyz wrote: flawed
Deep gold in colour and smells like no chardonnay that I've known (you know were this is going). Completely maderized. You can tell that there was a great wine in here before with gobs of fruit, but its shot.
It's so far gone that I think I should figure out how to turn it in to a great vinegar.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/14/2009 - ken-yyz wrote: 93 Points
Very nice but not to the levels this wine soared to closer to release. Just a hint of sherry starting to poke through at the back end of the palate. It goes without saying that this was a very lush wine with gobs of tropical fruit and creaminess.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/25/2009 - spts1000 wrote: 90 Points
i just dont get these wines. the nose is nice, but i found it a bit over oaked. it was not harsh, but the fruit didnot come through as much as i would have hoped
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/25/2009 - Frank Murray III wrote:
Aromatically, an exotic and expressive type nose, along with a hint of smoke. Lemon oil, orange marmalade, smoky tones and vanilla, with acidity filling in on the finish. This has unique qualities, with the total expression of the wine showing something I don't normally get in chardonnay but I wonder very much about the price point. I did appreciate the opportunity to taste it and judge it for myself.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/13/2009 - WetRock wrote:
Big Cabs With The Boys (Houston's): Huge nose of spiced baked fruits. More baked fruit character on a thick ripe palate. Made me think of a dry dessert wine. Definitely on the cocktail end of the spectrum. Not of my favorite style but I know of lots of people this would appeal to.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/13/2009 - jasonh wrote:
Overpriced Cabs (Houston's): Pricing aside, I ended up enjoying this wine. At first it was rather dull but by the end of the evening it became a tasty cocktail with just enough acidity to keep me awake. The biggest down side is its sweetness. Actually candy sweet so I would probably only be able to take 1 glass. I am very curious where this will be in 4 or 5 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/8/2009 - Peech wrote: 95 Points
A classic Cali Chard and typical of Kongsgaard style, with loads of toasty oak and vanilla. With the second pour came lots of sweet butter, tropical fruit and smoke. Very ripe on the palate with a slightly spicy finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/7/2009 - chiliman96 wrote: 100 Points
honeysuckle; tree fruits; medium body; crisp clean finish; fantastic
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/24/2009 - canan wrote:
California tasting with the "No Name" wine club in Copenhagen. (Kenneths place): Wow.. Was very impressed with this wine.
Basically it seems overdone and to powerful but it is still in its own type of balance. Complex flavours and a wine that just keeps building in the nose and mouth.
I simply adore the butter in this wine!!
HUGE wine but a wine that some would love to hate :-)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/28/2009 - cortoncharlie wrote: 91 Points
My first Judge. Rich nose of tropical flavors. Color was quite light. We gave it at least 30 mins in the decanter and even though there's no question this was a big wine with a long finish, it was stil very tight and the flavors were quite primary. The most noticeable aspect was the alchohol (not neccessarily hot in a way that burns your throat). We might have caught this bottle at an awkward phase. Will wait a few years to try again while I drink the standard Chardonnay.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/26/2008 - PaulT wrote: 90 Points
The wine had a very unusual carmel overtone that seemed to replace the typical butter or oak of a traditional California chardoney. Not what I expected from a med/young Kongsgaard, but I truely enjoyed it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/11/2008 - Charlie Carnes wrote: 92 Points
Really nice... maybe a little awkward now. I love the bright but subtle mint/botrytis profile that the Judge always has.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/21/2008 - jhngo wrote: 96 Points
Initially I was blown away by the viscous liquid. It poured like so think and rich. The nose was like a vanilla bomb. Finish was rich complex and every so long lasting. It was very reminicent of the Aubert wines however the Judge kept the acid in check. The high acid and heavy oils in most chards keeps me from drinking all night. The Judge kept acid in balance, and no hint of anything oily. Just a delcious vanilla bomb.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/23/2008 - Mondial wrote:
Edie loved it
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/28/2007 - wineismylife wrote: 90 Points
Jumble oaky mess.
oh no.. I thought this was incredible, It is probably the best Kongsgaard I have ever had, but yes it is an oaky, rich chardonnay. -cld
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/28/2007 - win wrote: 92 Points
Very concentrated Chardonnay--really hit me in the face with butter and oak. A wow wine. I wish I had more to let it breath a bit....It probably would have been more complex by doing so.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/28/2007 - Paul Lin wrote: 91 Points
Shafer Hillside Select Vertical Dinner (1989-2002) (California Club, Los Angeles, CA): Another very good chardonnay, but to be honest, I really don't get it. Very similar to the regular bottling -- same notes of poached pears and tropical fruits. The main difference, however, was the texture, which was glycerol-like in its viscosity. Not sure the unctuousness warrants the price of this wine, but it was very nice to drink.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/23/2007 - SmithCellar wrote: 97 Points
Medium nose, hints of vanilla, strawberry, rock after first rain, pepper and pear. Opened for 45 minutes before drinking and it still needed another 30 minutes to really open up. Has that unique Vanilla Oakey taste that only Kongsgaard can achieve without seeming overdone. Extremely long finish, seems to last forever. You can feel it in your mouth 2 - 3 minutes after each drink. Has the most perfect hint of butter on your tongue. Still retains a little heat but it is perfectly balanced with the fruit.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/1/2007 - Guy Des Rosiers wrote: 95 Points
Super-duper concentrated. Crazy nose: coffee, butterscotch, some coconut, butter, vanilla, melon, tropical fruit. Benefits considerably from decanting. Very full-bodied. Elegant in its own way (like a linebacker in a tailored suit). It’s very difficult not to love this, even if BIG California Chardonnay is not your thing. This is just exceptionally well-made wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/1/2007 - psmith wrote:
Butterscotch and typical cali chard flavors on the nose, some mineral. Big and creamy, but a fruit-forward type of big rather than a tensely structured wine. Montrachet fruit and mouthfeel, Chassagne-Montrachet structure, and Languedoc alcohol....and yes, it does show, big time. Spearmint undertones. Has a really patrician feel, and no mistaking this for an ordinary wine, but, while very enjoyable, just not special. Mouth tingling alcohol – don’t try and swish it or it really burns.
A second bottle two days later was served considerably colder - less alcohol and more mineral. A better showing at ~45F.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/28/2007 - rsepulve wrote: 99 Points
Wow! Absolutely amazing! Beautiful smokey nose of apricot and lemon, but what really stood out was the caramel/creme brulee aromas and a wonderful minerality. Full bodied and silky with an exceptionally long finish. When I finished drinking it I kept the glass so I could keep smelling it. I haven't had enough CA chards to say this is a perfect chard (hence the 99) but I can't imagine a better wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/1/2007 - Melli wrote: 99 Points
Outstanding in every way
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/26/2006 - nvandyk wrote: 98 Points
After all the hype, I had to try one even though it's early. Parker uses the word "surreal" and that's precisely the right word. Golden straw colored -- I wouldn't call it deep...a bit more like a Marcassin. The nose is an explosion of honey and caramel. This is a mouth coating wine, with butter / creme brulee and a hint of minerality. The finish lasts 45 seconds. I'm sure it will only improve with age. Ranks up there with some of the older Aubert-made Peter Michael Point Rouge as the best white I think I've ever had (I have yet to have a DRC Montrachet).
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment