From a magnum Bright yellow Nice sharp nose. Very clean. Lemon, lemon zest, light pineapple, green apple, cream, but more citrus than cream. Flavs lemon zest, grapefruit, lemon cream. Almond and sweetness. A bit of alcohol.
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I watched Mike Grgich sign this bottle, on a visit to the winery in 2008.
Grgich wines are - for the most part - built to be drunk young. Who has old bottles of Grgich in their cellar; what happens to them? These are full bodied, flavorful wines, well balanced fruit and acidity, oak a major contributor. I wanted to see what happened as they age, so I kept a few bottles, and have begun drinking them from time to time; here's one note:
As they age, the oak softens, but the butteriness does not diminish. In some respects, the wines feel even bigger, rounder. But, it doesn't seem to grow in complexity. I cannot recall the sort of layering, the tidal ebb and flow of primary, secondary, and tertiary flavors that I've experienced from French Burgundies. What I sensed was that the sharp edges of the youthful wine has now been replaced by the softened curves of its maturity.
Bottom line, it's a nice wine, but not worth the time and expense of cellaring - especially by comparison with the younger version.
Rated 1 on a scale of -1 to 3.
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Smooth and soft on the palate. White fruit with some secondary earthiness coming in. Acidity is holding well and I assume this will continue to develop more of the secondary flavors.
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Full, golden color. Ripe tropical notes of apples, stonefruit, citrus, toast, minerals, and spices. Fresh, smooth, full bodied, with excellent balance. Had just the right amount of oak, an unctuous texture that felt lithe and crisp, and a clean, juicy finish.
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With both another gorgeous summer night in the big smoke and a need to clear valuable cellar space it was time to drink. This wine, according to Cellartracker was a year overdue drinking, which I doubted was accurate, but still made it a prime candidate for consumption. This wine was purchased on one of my many jaunts through SFO airport on route home. The $55 was for sure excessive at the time, and some years later makes me question my sanity, but I bought it none the less. So here we are, a lovely southern Napa Valley Chardonnay uncorked and beckoning us to enjoy.
A brilliant straw colour greeted us with almost a smile. Serving it between 15c & 16c allowed the nose to be ready on pouring. Floral notes and soft tree fruits like peach and apricots start your senses. The wine is soft but still fruity with hints of honey and lemon. Elegant is a very good way to describe this. Elegant and polished. Maybe this was fifty-five well spent dollars afterwards. Unlike most of its Californian brethren, this wine was not buttery as malolactic fermentation was not allowed. Overall this was a pleasure, and even with the cost worth every penny.
The CWG Subjective Rating is 88 out of 100.
http://www.canadianwineguy.com
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Medium yellow and mello tasting for having no melo fermentation. Well put together and nicely aged with cleaner finish than lesser Chards offer. Pleasant mid-weeker. We enjoyed it. Worth $30 but not $50 in my view. 89ish
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SIGHT: Clear, day bright, medium straw to yellow color, medium plus concentration and viscocity; NOSE: clean. Apple, pear, peach, vanilla, toast, daisies, butter, honey; PALATE: dry. Toast, butter, golden apple, mineral water, fresh cut flowers, vanilla; ASSESSMENT: medium to medium plus alcohol, medium acidity, medium plus finish and medium complexity. Well structured, good food wine. Not as expressive as it would be after more cellaring. Would definitely improve with age. Paired wonderfully with cedar plank sockeye salmon.
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Popped and poured. Light lemon hue. Fairly pronounced aromas of caramel apple, citrus, minerals, and a touch of smoke. Medium body, has presence on the palate. Nice flavors fairly typical of CA Chardonnay...stone fruits, buttery oak, maybe a touch of tropical. Well balanced, with enough acidity to keep this quenching instead of entering flabby territory like so many other examples Chards made in this style tend to go. Drinking nicely now but could go for a bit longer.
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A medium yellow in the glass, the delightful nose was of faint grapefruit, and tropical fruits (papaya, mango). In the palate, a pleasing viscosity, but then fading away to nearly nothing. We really had to try hard to appreciate any fruit, and the short finish left one with the impression of cotton candy. A very poor QPR, and a definite 'not buy again'.
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Nice and crisp with high acid. Apples, lemon and some tropical fruit with a hint of minerals followed by light vanilla from the oak but not over done. This is not a buttery Napa chard but a more crisp style because no malolactic fermentation.
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Smell of citrus and crisp green apple. Taste of apple, pear, little butter, little earth. Really enjoyed this wine. Crisp and clean, not over-oaked. It was infinitely better than the Rombauer, Far Niente, and Chalk Hill I had over the past 2 months. The chardonnay is Grgich Hills' flagship wine IMO.
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Bright acidity and complex flavors of apples, lemon, and pineapples. Fermentation and careful aging in oak barrels imparts pleasant toasty vanilla notes through the finish.
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Notes of pear and some citrus. Buttery with some oak but not over the top - it still had some crispness and was very well balanced and complex. Very nice CA style Chardonnay. A bit pricey....
Really enjoyed this one. Excellent balance of flavors. Immediate flavors of pear and apple give way to layering of butter and green olive in to what (to me) seemed are remarkably long finish. This doesn't drink at all like a "typical" fruity, oaky Napa chard, but has a complexity and earthy character that is simply absent in more common Chardonnays from the region.
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Napa Valley, July 2009; 7/9/2009-7/11/2009 (Napa Valley, CA): The nose on this wine is a lot of fun. Lemon tart scents make up the bulk of the experience, but there is a hint of sea spray and clay soil as well. It's fresh, light and enjoyable. On the palate, the wine is crisp. The lemons come across as expected along with a distinct and enjoyable minerality. Unfortunately, the alcohol is also distinct, and the heat keeps this wine from being too exciting.
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My first trip to Napa, Ca.; 7/9/2009-7/11/2009: Nice nose with a dose of chard fruit and a light oak treatment (light butter). Focused on the fruit, the palate delivers nice acidity and citrus fruits. Decent length in the finish with the oak making a small appearance.
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Yeah, that's tasty stuff. Great balance, nice complexity, some oak but not overwhelming. Pear, melon, and mango with good acidity. I really dug on this wine.
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4/24/2017 - BigBoy_Sonoma Likes this wine: 87 Points
Pear, apple, acidity, tropical fruit, hints of vanilla and hints of butterscotch, only a touch of minerality. Lacks some complexity. B/B+
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1/19/2016 - RickyT12 Likes this wine: 92 Points
From a magnum
Bright yellow
Nice sharp nose. Very clean.
Lemon, lemon zest, light pineapple, green apple, cream, but more citrus than cream.
Flavs lemon zest, grapefruit, lemon cream. Almond and sweetness.
A bit of alcohol.
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11/27/2015 - IJC Likes this wine:
I watched Mike Grgich sign this bottle, on a visit to the winery in 2008.
Grgich wines are - for the most part - built to be drunk young. Who has old bottles of Grgich in their cellar; what happens to them? These are full bodied, flavorful wines, well balanced fruit and acidity, oak a major contributor. I wanted to see what happened as they age, so I kept a few bottles, and have begun drinking them from time to time; here's one note:
As they age, the oak softens, but the butteriness does not diminish. In some respects, the wines feel even bigger, rounder. But, it doesn't seem to grow in complexity. I cannot recall the sort of layering, the tidal ebb and flow of primary, secondary, and tertiary flavors that I've experienced from French Burgundies. What I sensed was that the sharp edges of the youthful wine has now been replaced by the softened curves of its maturity.
Bottom line, it's a nice wine, but not worth the time and expense of cellaring - especially by comparison with the younger version.
Rated 1 on a scale of -1 to 3.
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7/1/2015 - TheRhoneranger wrote: 87 Points
Getting close to being past its drinkability window. Was much better 7 months ago.
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4/12/2015 - Seneg wrote: 91 Points
Much better than last one. Nice balance. I recommend not waiting too much longer
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12/9/2014 - ecola Likes this wine: 91 Points
Smooth and soft on the palate. White fruit with some secondary earthiness coming in. Acidity is holding well and I assume this will continue to develop more of the secondary flavors.
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2/9/2014 - Baron Slick wrote: 91 Points
Full, golden color. Ripe tropical notes of apples, stonefruit, citrus, toast, minerals, and spices. Fresh, smooth, full bodied, with excellent balance. Had just the right amount of oak, an unctuous texture that felt lithe and crisp, and a clean, juicy finish.
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11/29/2013 - albrigsr wrote: 86 Points
Drinking from a 375ml. Past it's prime.
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7/31/2012 - bdg55 wrote: 88 Points
With both another gorgeous summer night in the big smoke and a need to clear valuable cellar space it was time to drink. This wine, according to Cellartracker was a year overdue drinking, which I doubted was accurate, but still made it a prime candidate for consumption. This wine was purchased on one of my many jaunts through SFO airport on route home. The $55 was for sure excessive at the time, and some years later makes me question my sanity, but I bought it none the less. So here we are, a lovely southern Napa Valley Chardonnay uncorked and beckoning us to enjoy.
A brilliant straw colour greeted us with almost a smile. Serving it between 15c & 16c allowed the nose to be ready on pouring. Floral notes and soft tree fruits like peach and apricots start your senses. The wine is soft but still fruity with hints of honey and lemon. Elegant is a very good way to describe this. Elegant and polished. Maybe this was fifty-five well spent dollars afterwards. Unlike most of its Californian brethren, this wine was not buttery as malolactic fermentation was not allowed. Overall this was a pleasure, and even with the cost worth every penny.
The CWG Subjective Rating is 88 out of 100.
http://www.canadianwineguy.com
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1/2/2012 - Mpmcfadden wrote: 90 Points
- Yellow gold color.
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12/6/2011 - WineHawkeye wrote: 89 Points
Medium yellow and mello tasting for having no melo fermentation. Well put together and nicely aged with cleaner finish than lesser Chards offer. Pleasant mid-weeker. We enjoyed it. Worth $30 but not $50 in my view. 89ish
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2/7/2011 - jlimberg wrote: 90 Points
SIGHT: Clear, day bright, medium straw to yellow color, medium plus concentration and viscocity; NOSE: clean. Apple, pear, peach, vanilla, toast, daisies, butter, honey; PALATE: dry. Toast, butter, golden apple, mineral water, fresh cut flowers, vanilla; ASSESSMENT: medium to medium plus alcohol, medium acidity, medium plus finish and medium complexity. Well structured, good food wine. Not as expressive as it would be after more cellaring. Would definitely improve with age. Paired wonderfully with cedar plank sockeye salmon.
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10/8/2010 - CJM wrote: 91 Points
light yellow color, excellent well balanced nose, nice fruit flavors - nice wine
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9/19/2010 - Lord of the Bottles wrote: 88 Points
Pretty classic tasting chardonnay, a touch too much oak but on balance very good.
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7/14/2010 - AverySides wrote:
Dinner at home
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6/25/2010 - *Vine* wrote: 90 Points
Popped and poured. Light lemon hue. Fairly pronounced aromas of caramel apple, citrus, minerals, and a touch of smoke. Medium body, has presence on the palate. Nice flavors fairly typical of CA Chardonnay...stone fruits, buttery oak, maybe a touch of tropical. Well balanced, with enough acidity to keep this quenching instead of entering flabby territory like so many other examples Chards made in this style tend to go. Drinking nicely now but could go for a bit longer.
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6/11/2010 - Fishboy wrote: 89 Points
Refreshing and crisp with mineral, citrus, and floral notes. Not buttery or over oaked.
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5/9/2010 - wicozani wrote: 84 Points
A medium yellow in the glass, the delightful nose was of faint grapefruit, and tropical fruits (papaya, mango). In the palate, a pleasing viscosity, but then fading away to nearly nothing. We really had to try hard to appreciate any fruit, and the short finish left one with the impression of cotton candy. A very poor QPR, and a definite 'not buy again'.
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5/7/2010 - Frommen wrote: 84 Points
Very woody, leaving almost no trace of any fruit flavour.
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5/2/2010 - jkwatson wrote: 78 Points
Oak, oak, oak and more oak. I think ther could have been some decent fruit under there, but it was not worth the effort.
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4/6/2010 - 3daywinereview.com wrote: 90 Points
Haskell's Wine Sale Tasting; 4/5/2010-4/6/2010 (Bloomington): Nice wine with minerals, lemons and floral on the nose. Good use of oak on this wine as it complements the fruit elements. Medium finish and balanced.
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3/25/2010 - dk0s0v3c wrote: 91 Points
agree with scotty_b tasting notes below - wonderful stuff
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3/12/2010 - golfman Likes this wine: 88 Points
Drank over two days. Very nice on both; a welcome accidity
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1/30/2010 - njAndrew wrote: 91 Points
Nice and crisp with high acid. Apples, lemon and some tropical fruit with a hint of minerals followed by light vanilla from the oak but not over done. This is not a buttery Napa chard but a more crisp style because no malolactic fermentation.
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12/26/2009 - scotty_b wrote: 91 Points
Smell of citrus and crisp green apple. Taste of apple, pear, little butter, little earth. Really enjoyed this wine. Crisp and clean, not over-oaked. It was infinitely better than the Rombauer, Far Niente, and Chalk Hill I had over the past 2 months. The chardonnay is Grgich Hills' flagship wine IMO.
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11/24/2009 - Neuman wrote: 91 Points
This has been a favorite for years. Clean Crisp Rich. My not every day house wine
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11/15/2009 - talesofthegrape wrote:
Bright acidity and complex flavors of apples, lemon, and pineapples. Fermentation and careful aging in oak barrels imparts pleasant toasty vanilla notes through the finish.
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11/7/2009 - aagrawal wrote:
Bruce Cass Class #2 (Fort Mason, San Francisco): Yellow, on the light side. Nose a big nose, but light and balanced. Some citrus, some green.
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10/26/2009 - gsglen wrote:
Notes of pear and some citrus. Buttery with some oak but not over the top - it still had some crispness and was very well balanced and complex. Very nice CA style Chardonnay. A bit pricey....
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9/13/2009 - Neuman wrote:
great as always
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8/13/2009 - JeffcB wrote:
Chardonnay; 8/10/2009-8/16/2009: Oak. Not much else special.
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7/11/2009 - leighd2k wrote:
Really enjoyed this one. Excellent balance of flavors. Immediate flavors of pear and apple give way to layering of butter and green olive in to what (to me) seemed are remarkably long finish. This doesn't drink at all like a "typical" fruity, oaky Napa chard, but has a complexity and earthy character that is simply absent in more common Chardonnays from the region.
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7/9/2009 - subtlet wrote: 87 Points
Napa Valley, July 2009; 7/9/2009-7/11/2009 (Napa Valley, CA): The nose on this wine is a lot of fun. Lemon tart scents make up the bulk of the experience, but there is a hint of sea spray and clay soil as well. It's fresh, light and enjoyable. On the palate, the wine is crisp. The lemons come across as expected along with a distinct and enjoyable minerality. Unfortunately, the alcohol is also distinct, and the heat keeps this wine from being too exciting.
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7/9/2009 - gripNsip wrote: 87 Points
My first trip to Napa, Ca.; 7/9/2009-7/11/2009: Nice nose with a dose of chard fruit and a light oak treatment (light butter). Focused on the fruit, the palate delivers nice acidity and citrus fruits. Decent length in the finish with the oak making a small appearance.
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5/27/2009 - eliotfagley wrote: 91 Points
Yeah, that's tasty stuff. Great balance, nice complexity, some oak but not overwhelming. Pear, melon, and mango with good acidity. I really dug on this wine.
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5/1/2009 - Ombibulous wrote: 85 Points
Delish! I like. Balanced and refreshing, but also well flavoured. Very good (85.5).
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7/24/2008 - Wineasaurus Rex wrote: 88 Points
Very nice, but a little spendy for the quality. Nice butter flavours without being overoaked.
Allow to come to proper serving temperature. If it's too cold, it's not nearly as good.
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