Final bottle, still going strong. An exotic experience. There are plenty of new world producers still making Chardonnay in this fuller style - this would outperform most if not all of them.
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At South West Rocks, NSW. A lovely picnic wine this opened with a deep green gold colour and a nose of white and yellow peaches, poached pears, lemon zest, vanilla and honey. The palate has developed a lovely complexity with the complex fruit characters still at the forefront but balanced by touches of caramel, honey and vanilla pod. The texture and mineral grip remain defining features here giving the wine real distinction.
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PYCM vs Lamy vs Ramonent (Kolabo): Blinded. Probably one of the best art series I have had. Someone actually believe this was a resiling due to the petrol notes, on the palate it was distinctly chardonnay, lemon, lime, high acid, touch of honey. Impressive white.
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There aren’t many places in the world where you find this level of ripeness in the fruit with high levels of acidity. This is apparently the final vintage that sees the wine go through malolactic fermentation. It assaults the senses to be honest and for that reason it needs rich dishes to balance it out otherwise it’s going to be all you taste (and talk about) and that’s for good reason.
Light yellow. Mandarin oranges, apricot, sweet cantaloupe notes. It may be the closure (Stelvin), but this hasn't budged a bit- still young crisp, fresh. Easily one of the better Chardonnays in the world year after year.
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An accomplished wine that, while distinctly non-Burgundian in character, easily sets the standard for Australian chardonnay. In comparison to the 2009 and 2011, this had lots more oak and butter showing and some citrus/grapefruit peel coming through on the nose.
Paired with Hainanese chicken rice which worked a treat and brought some highly perfumed notes to the fore. The palate was rounded and well resolved, albeit not as chirpy as younger vintages which usually give out sweeter citrus and stonefruit.
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This was another absolutely consistent bottle of this lovely wine with a lovely defining texture and grip. This is not White Burgundy but rather a chardonnay of distinction from a specific terroir that favours cool orchard fruits, a rich texture defined by grape tannins and a fine line of natural acidity. Always reliable thanks to the sure use of Stelvin closures.
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This wine remains a lovely clear pale green gold colour with a nose of poached pear, white nectarine, grapefruit and nougat. The palate is fresh and medium weight with lovely density of fruit and very good drive and grip reflecting the matiere I associate with this low yielding vineyard. Another great bottle !
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This wine remains a lovely clear pale green gold colour with a nose of poached pear, white nectarine, grapefruit and nougat. The palate is fresh and medium weight with lovely density of fruit and very good drive and grip reflecting the matiere I associate with this low yielding vineyard. Leeuwin mastered the Stelvin closure many years ago !
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Absolutely singing at a recent dinnner. Three bottles with consistent notes. Light golden yellow, only showing a little age. Nice subtle nose on entry. White peach, lychee, minerals. Beautifully integrated with terrific balance and weight. Perfect companion with fresh oysters that night.
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These age well but with some bottle variation. This particular bottle was in fairly good shaped but wasn't quite as well integrated and subtle as the last one I had. Pears, pomelo, biscuit and minerals with oak framing.
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screwcap. gunsmoke, a little buttered popcorn and apple. Fresh, punchy fruit in well measured oak. good concentration and very attractive. Just a little bitter on the finish. this could easily go until age 15.
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Mid yellow colour. Rich, buttery nose with vanilla and brioche. Spice, nuts and toasted notes along with a bit of vanilla. Very good balance with a touch of acid. Long finish with a bit of richness. Drinking very well but towards the end of the drinking window. Very nice wine.
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48th TWIGS Dinner (Firoz and Sangeeta's house): Served blind. Immediate appeal and recognition. Golden hues. Aromas of butter, caramel, nuts, toast. There's power and density in the palate, which comes from a heady mix of mature fruit, saw-dust oak and that alcohol. It doesn't taste hot though. In fact it's well balanced, with a long finish. The acids are incorporated in this sample and the wine is developing well. It was very representative of the producer. 14.5% alc. Screw cap. Artwork: Richard Larter, entitled 'Spring Disposition'
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Tremendous wine. Tastes so good, feels so good. Similar impression to my note of previous bottle exactly three years ago. Peach, lemon, toasted nuts, grapefruit, cream. High alcohol which hits the head fast and hard but doesn't upset balance in the mouth. So loooong. 4 hours now from opening and showing better than earlier, so well cellared bottles have many years ahead. Still plenty of acidity to keep this balanced and fresh. Stinking hot evening here, not ideal tasting conditions, leaves me wondering how good this bottle could have been on a more moderate day.
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At Noosa. Still quite pale green gold. Stelvin closure wins again ! Nose of white nectarine and peach, poached pear and nougat with a clean touch of fresh lemonade. The palate is just a little full and round to be Meursault but the similarity is there. Great length and drive builds a fine finish. An excellent chardonnay and I wish my white burgundy could be so reliable !
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Thursday Day Off (Rainbow Restaurant, Sok Kwu Wan, First St,, Lamma Island, Hong Kong): Colour is pale silver-yellow gold. Nose is green and orange melon, white pear, fresh-peeled young hazelnuts... very fresh and young for a 10 year old Chardonnay. Palate is salivating, incredibly elegant with fresh high acidity, white pears, fresh banana and fresh-peeled almonds. Quite heady and very resonant and reverberant on the finish with great length. Extremely elegant. Still has years ahead of it. Has improved considerably since I last opened a bottle 2 years ago. I shall hide my remaining two bottles in the back of the cellar.
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Decanted this one, golden straw colour, still some acidity would have thougt that woukd have rounded by now, woukd be interesting to see this in 3 to 5 years
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Remains pale; subtle tropical notes, overlaid by deft oak; understated, retains a fresh feel; signs of becoming a little threadbare. Drive on a long finish. Drink up.
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Wonderful showing, this is rich exotic, flamboyant with peach and pineapple, but also a very precise acidity, that keeps everything in place. It is not a dead ringer for a whit burg (as it should not be) but certainly one of the best chardonnays to come out of Australia. Under screwcap.
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Pale yellow with green tinges. Great nose of nectarine, white peach, poached pear and nougat. Palate quite rich and full. Fine drive and finish. A fine glass of Chardonnay maturing slowly and with lovely complexity.
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SLDS November 2015: Lemon curb, spice, smoke and grapefruit. Viscous palate, there is a good amount of acidity which is much needed given the ripeness of the fruit across the whole length. Could do with a little more time as it feels like the structure is there to improve.
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Drank this over several weeks using Coravin despite its screw top - the trick is to insert a cork immediately after removing cap and then give yourself a Coravin pour, thus displacing any O2 with Argon - works a treat!. Great fruit balance and length. Not sure any point in keeping for longer - just right now
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I can't deny the balance of power and finesse in this bottle. Everyone enjoyed it and it went incredibly well with all types of salads and seafoods. Upside from here.
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I swear, this is just stunning right now. Alternating between pear and red apple fruits, cinnamon and spice, and just a hint of that hazelnut character. Every darn glass is different and amazing. Drink it slow it get the maximum enjoyment. On day two its still going strong (amazing it lasted until day two).
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The first thing I noticed was the brightness of yellow in the glass. I was expecting darker, so maybe this hasn't developed much yet ? Balanced nose with citrus, vanilla and expectation.... Not as full bodied as I expected due to a cooler year. Soft and delicate but full bodied, great wine but not an exceptional year. I'm going to wait a few years for the next, as I think it has more to give.
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Absolutely stunning wine that is only going to get better. Peaches, fig, citrus and that lovely buttery oak make this my favourite Chardonnay by a mile. Not as good as the 2001 but still exceptional.
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Another excellent bottle of this wine, in a perfect drinking window. Tropical fruits and tangerines, butter toast and minerals. Nice structure and finish.
Jumpy right from the crack of the bottle. So heading right into the pocket met thinks. Smokin' acidity on the back end. Delicious with stuffed squash blossoms.
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"Avid Wino" has this pegged. I'd say it's just starting to shine. Begs for food, not a summer sipper for the porch. I may wait to see if the alcohol calms down a bit. If it does, it's a 95 all day long.
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A two 'fer of an Art Series day. Two art series, why not? The '06 is showing just spot on right now. Open, expressive, eased into its concentrated self. Just at the beginning of the drink window. So I guess, since the have been capping them, the drink start time is 8 years after vintage...
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Starbright; a refined nose, understated panache; true finesse, verve, ravishing; evolved, with the balance to age well for 5+ years. Merits contemplation.
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Looooooooooong. Heady. 2 small glasses and I already feel tipsy. Yum. So much going on, pear, grapefruit, peach, oats. Those toasted nuts do it for me. Good to go now, and anytime over the next five years. Don't chill this too much, I recommend drinking at 10-12 degrees celsius, just below typical wine fridge temperature.
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Limpid green gold. Slightly tropical on the nose with hints of mango and pineapple with a splash of citrus. More "French" on the palate, bright acidity but not seeringly sharp, lemon and lime, a nuttiness and a lovely minerality. This wine is far more about finesse than power.
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Drank slowly over a long afternoon and early evening as a prelude to a birthday dinner for my wife at home. This is still a lovely bottle of wine but it seems to have lost some delineation compared to the 7 times I have opened a bottle from the case in the past. Still very elegant, though. I will drink up the rest of the case fairly quickly from now.
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Far less "exotic" on the nose then the 2007, much more a "return to form" than that vintage. Not that that vintage is bad by any means. And here is the classic mid palate richness that I have come to expect. And a more evolved sense of aromas. Less mineral on the finish, more fat and richness. Delicious.
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Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay (AuZone, Stockholm): Light yellow. Nose with smoky notes and citrus, ripe yellow fruit, some flowers, mineral, a hint of herbal notes. Less citrus-dominated nose than the 2008. Palate with citrus, a lot of limes and grapefruit, quite concentrated, definitely high acidity, fresh aftertaste with mineral. Young, very fresh, could develop more. Cooler impression than the 2008, but a great palate! 93+ pts.
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I am at about the middle of the case with this one, and while the wine has been good (91-92) it has always held something back. It has been about 8 months since my last bottle and the wine is really hitting its stride. It's no longer a gangly kid but a young adult. Still with plenty of years in the bottle, but it is just WOW out of the bottle right now. If you have any, open one and see for yourself. My one cautionary note is the temperature. When it is too cold, it doesn't give much away. 12 degrees (or wine fridge temperature) is pretty good, maybe a degree or 2 colder if that is too warm for you. It is a wine to just sit and enjoy.
- Yellow color with medium forming legs and aromas of cut green grass and geranium. It's lacking fruit and has flavours of mushroom and butterscotch with a light/medium body. Satin-Like texture with a medium finish - A big old buttery nose on open soon gave up hints of green grass and mustard flower. Tasting allows a little oak into the picture but quite subdued. Very little acidity left. WA chard at its peak, I think.
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Unscored because we drank this at home in distracted circumstanced because everyone wanted to finish dinner fast and get downstairs to the communal pre-Halloween weekend party. This is to my mind the best Chardonnay that Australia produces and it deserves more contemplation than we gave it tonight. This is normally a 92-93 points for me but I can see how you could underestimate if you drank it in a "party" setting.....it's unusually refined and restrained and reticent by normal Australian standards.
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One of the most complex and interesting wines i have ever had. Slightly hazy, minerality, was extremely fresh given its age. Fig notes white pepper. Blood orange peel, yeast and perfect integration of oak
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Delicate on the palate with a hint of limestone that tells me this could sit for a while longer. It graced a pan-fried salmon and fava bean mash earlier, and despite a horrible struggle with the dinner's native citrus sauce (that would be the lemon noted by previous tasters) the wine shone through. I enjoyed it a bit chillier than my usual lukewarm preference for New World chardonnays; then again, Margaret River chards are sui generis.
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Really need to stop opening this vintage, because the bottles keep getting better and this wine could be special in a few more years. Other notes capture the flavor profile very well. I agree with reviewer who compared to a top Burgundy.
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Pale straw color. Pineapple and other tropical fruits with a good dose of butter on the nose. On the palate also tropical fruits and butterscotch. Great finish but a little unbalanced because of the huge alcohol (14.5%!). Enjoyed at about 12oC so a little cooler and it would have seemed more restrained. Still this is a well made wine and the French should not criticize it just because it is bigger than a Montrachet.
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Two bottles opened a few hours in advance and served to accompany an appetiser of Norwegian Smoked Salmon With Sour Cream & Salmon Roe together with an Araujo Eisele Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2010 which it blew out of the water. Light silver gold colour. Nose is pronounced unsalted Normandy butter, roasted lemons, minerals and crusshed rocks. Palate is lemon drops boiled sweets combined with attractively tart honeycomb. Lovely elegance and it lightened up and became even more elegant with extended time in the glass, especially once it reached cellar-room temperature. Lovely resonance.....rolling resonance. Just very lovely and it impressed everyone.
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Bit mystified by this one. Was quite disjointed for the first hour, oak poking out, alcohol, seemed too ripe and sweet. Did tighen up and improve from there but not sure what to make of it. I'd leave for a few more years and hope for the best. Off bottle perhaps?
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While not quite ready, still exhibiting terrific complexity with both minerality and stone fruits. Finish was notably long. Can't wait to try this in 5 years.
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Sipped over a long and leisurely public holiday afternoon at home in Hong Kong. This just gets better and better every time I drink it.....this has developed a lovely and increasingly understated but powerful harmonious integration of all its elements....more "power without weight" than any high-end white Burgundy I can immediately think of...just lovely.......like Albinoni's Adagio in G Minor translated into wine.
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Obvious oak on the nose and palate but fruit is generally up to the task. Full creamy palate is ultra sexy and maybe (almost) too thick. A wine that needs more than a 50ml pour to fully think through but the class is very evident.
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Develops nicely in a decanter as it warms gradually. plenty of white fruits, especially stone fruit. Looking forward to trying this wine every few months for some years.
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lovely tropical nose, maybe some melon and stone fruit. Decanting, letting it warm and develop, the tropical taste gains intensity. Wine is still light (I have this wine going back to 2000 and in 2-3 years I expect) it to gain power, deepen in colour and have stronger tropical tastes. I hope it will last as long as the 2000 which is still a great wine.
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Had with christmas dinner. Most people went with a NZ SB so was great to share more of this bottle. Still v light in colour - intense nose of stonefruit/melon. A little restrained initially on the palate but then shows more expansiveness - a whole lot of flavours - peach/pineapple and some well integrated oak. The finish is incredibly long and refreshing.
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Much like a cross between a white Burgundy and a big new world Chardonnay. Lovely mineral nose with rich tropical fruit flavors. Make no mistake, this is a big wine but very well balanced.
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Quite overt on the nose with tropical notes of tinned pineapple and some spiced apple and pear. Creamy and round in the mouth with excellent intensity and real persistence to the finish.
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8/10 - On the nose the wine smells of citus with cream. Lots of lemon and pebbles on the palate. Just hints of oak, butter and bitter zest to it as well. The finish on this is long indeed. The acidity's pretty high too which I quite enjoyed. My wife, on the other hand, found the wine sour and bitter, but she has never been one who enjoyed acid in wines.
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Whew... to tell you the turth, it felt like being with an old friend. And I thought about leaving things at that. But my loquaciousness is aperently unstopable. So here it is.
2006 is...
Not as engaging, full, voluptuous or fat as 2004. And I do miss 2004.
Not as quiet and thoughtful, concealed and made for drinking in solitude as the 2005.
Not as saline and long and pure as 2003.
It is the most mineral of the recent set, best now open four hours in decanter. Much saline but more mineral, not the tropical notes of '04 but all Art Series. I may need nothing more for dinner.
A treat and a pleasure to drink, thirsty or hammered.
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Smells like an Art Series from a hot year. Drinks big and warm -- not in terms of alc., but in terms of mouthfeel. Noticeably more boisterious than the 2005. It is a very fine Art Series.
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A second bottle on succsesive nights, this ordered with crab and sea bass. Arrived a little too close to room temperature and, whereas some fine chardonnays have more chance to express themselves warmer, this I felt wasn't quite as spectacular as it had been on the previous night until it had been chilled a little more. Still lovely, but ever so slightly less citrus for me this time.
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Enjoyed with scallops and turbot on the Saturday dinner (before the 1992 Rousseau Clos de Beze, against which it managed to hold its own). Fantastic light, citrus (grapefruity, perhaps a hint of lime) nose and palate. Good length. A touch of oak but complementary, and far from overpowering.
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Dinner with Todd & Mina (The Library, Crown Wine Cellars, Hong Kong): On top form. Nose and palate were both oak followed by citrus, with the oak descending and the citrus predominating with extended time in the glass. Huge lightness, freshness, minerality, length and resonance........like a young Montrachet. Brilliant.
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Three bottles opened but not decanted 2-3 hours before serving. Light green gold colour. Tight lemony minerally nose. Palate is WOW!......drop-dead gorgeous elegance and poise with lots of fruity lemon and quite swweet but also with a very sharp grapefruit acidity. Good length. Still young and needs a couple of more years at least to show its true colours.
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Australia Wine Trip; 9/20/2009-9/21/2009 (Margaret River): Floral lifted lemon cream.Good minerals lining some creaminess and fresh crisp aussie fruit with cardamon spices. However, different from the other chards tasted, this displays a lovely montrachet like nuance on the palate.
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Angela's Birthday Party (Crown Wine Cellars, Hong Kong): As light and silvery in colour as a steel fermented Sauvignon Blanc.Nose is gunflint, fresh lemon peel and wet warm pebbles. Palate is rich, deep creamy, lemony citrus, acidic freshness and a minerality remniscent of Epsom Salts. Quite a lot of body As it comes towards cool room temperature it becomes fantastically creamy buttery with a very persistent freshness. Huge length and good resonance in the head on the finish. This is very good indeed.
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4/11/2024 - TheBosWineGuy Likes this wine: 94 Points
Final bottle, still going strong. An exotic experience. There are plenty of new world producers still making Chardonnay in this fuller style - this would outperform most if not all of them.
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3/7/2024 - drjb Likes this wine: 93 Points
At home. Very similar impression to recent notes, perhaps somewhat more fresh. As always a delicious expression of Chardonnay.
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2/23/2024 - drjb Likes this wine: 93 Points
At South West Rocks, NSW. A lovely picnic wine this opened with a deep green gold colour and a nose of white and yellow peaches, poached pears, lemon zest, vanilla and honey. The palate has developed a lovely complexity with the complex fruit characters still at the forefront but balanced by touches of caramel, honey and vanilla pod. The texture and mineral grip remain defining features here giving the wine real distinction.
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7/15/2023 - astroman Likes this wine: 93 Points
PYCM vs Lamy vs Ramonent (Kolabo): Blinded. Probably one of the best art series I have had. Someone actually believe this was a resiling due to the petrol notes, on the palate it was distinctly chardonnay, lemon, lime, high acid, touch of honey. Impressive white.
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4/13/2021 - mphatic Likes this wine:
Screwcap, 14.5% alc. Bright yellow gold.
Powerful and complex nose of peach, banana, hazelnut, pear, spicy oak, matchstick, and a mandarin top note.
The powerful palate is at once creamy and firm, with strong grapefruit-like acidity, and a long cereal-flavoured finish.
Opinion: Impressive, powerful Chardonnay. Classic Art Series. In a good place now, yet no rush; the wine held up well on Day 4.
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2/15/2021 - TheBosWineGuy Likes this wine: 94 Points
There aren’t many places in the world where you find this level of ripeness in the fruit with high levels of acidity. This is apparently the final vintage that sees the wine go through malolactic fermentation. It assaults the senses to be honest and for that reason it needs rich dishes to balance it out otherwise it’s going to be all you taste (and talk about) and that’s for good reason.
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5/30/2020 - mjf@ulkner wrote: 95 Points
Light yellow. Mandarin oranges, apricot, sweet cantaloupe notes. It may be the closure (Stelvin), but this hasn't budged a bit- still young crisp, fresh. Easily one of the better Chardonnays in the world year after year.
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5/17/2019 - Isaac L wrote: 92 Points
An accomplished wine that, while distinctly non-Burgundian in character, easily sets the standard for Australian chardonnay. In comparison to the 2009 and 2011, this had lots more oak and butter showing and some citrus/grapefruit peel coming through on the nose.
Paired with Hainanese chicken rice which worked a treat and brought some highly perfumed notes to the fore. The palate was rounded and well resolved, albeit not as chirpy as younger vintages which usually give out sweeter citrus and stonefruit.
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3/3/2019 - drjb Likes this wine: 93 Points
This was another absolutely consistent bottle of this lovely wine with a lovely defining texture and grip. This is not White Burgundy but rather a chardonnay of distinction from a specific terroir that favours cool orchard fruits, a rich texture defined by grape tannins and a fine line of natural acidity. Always reliable thanks to the sure use of Stelvin closures.
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9/8/2018 - drjb Likes this wine: 93 Points
This wine remains a lovely clear pale green gold colour with a nose of poached pear, white nectarine, grapefruit and nougat. The palate is fresh and medium weight with lovely density of fruit and very good drive and grip reflecting the matiere I associate with this low yielding vineyard. Another great bottle !
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7/10/2018 - drjb Likes this wine: 93 Points
This wine remains a lovely clear pale green gold colour with a nose of poached pear, white nectarine, grapefruit and nougat. The palate is fresh and medium weight with lovely density of fruit and very good drive and grip reflecting the matiere I associate with this low yielding vineyard. Leeuwin mastered the Stelvin closure many years ago !
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4/26/2018 - chatters wrote:
Leeuwin Estate Birthday dinner (with ringins) (Bitton Restaurant, Erskinville): Rich, orange mandarin sweet spice. Fruit is more mandarin and a little muted on the palate, spice more to the fore on the palate, toasted nuts. Hmm.
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2/10/2018 - mclanew Likes this wine: 95 Points
Absolutely singing at a recent dinnner. Three bottles with consistent notes. Light golden yellow, only showing a little age. Nice subtle nose on entry. White peach, lychee, minerals. Beautifully integrated with terrific balance and weight. Perfect companion with fresh oysters that night.
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8/5/2017 - mclanew wrote: 92 Points
These age well but with some bottle variation. This particular bottle was in fairly good shaped but wasn't quite as well integrated and subtle as the last one I had. Pears, pomelo, biscuit and minerals with oak framing.
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7/8/2017 - sebastienjm wrote: 93 Points
Un verre au domaine. Complexe et intense, très long en bouche, vraiment bien mais pas certains que ça se bonifie davantage
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7/5/2017 - KVM wrote:
screwcap. gunsmoke, a little buttered popcorn and apple. Fresh, punchy fruit in well measured oak. good concentration and very attractive. Just a little bitter on the finish. this could easily go until age 15.
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7/1/2017 - rjsmall Likes this wine:
Mid yellow colour. Rich, buttery nose with vanilla and brioche. Spice, nuts and toasted notes along with a bit of vanilla. Very good balance with a touch of acid. Long finish with a bit of richness. Drinking very well but towards the end of the drinking window. Very nice wine.
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3/25/2017 - fizz wrote:
48th TWIGS Dinner (Firoz and Sangeeta's house): Served blind.
Immediate appeal and recognition. Golden hues. Aromas of butter, caramel, nuts, toast. There's power and density in the palate, which comes from a heady mix of mature fruit, saw-dust oak and that alcohol. It doesn't taste hot though. In fact it's well balanced, with a long finish. The acids are incorporated in this sample and the wine is developing well.
It was very representative of the producer.
14.5% alc. Screw cap.
Artwork: Richard Larter, entitled 'Spring Disposition'
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12/31/2016 - Avid Wino wrote: 95 Points
Tremendous wine. Tastes so good, feels so good. Similar impression to my note of previous bottle exactly three years ago. Peach, lemon, toasted nuts, grapefruit, cream. High alcohol which hits the head fast and hard but doesn't upset balance in the mouth. So loooong. 4 hours now from opening and showing better than earlier, so well cellared bottles have many years ahead. Still plenty of acidity to keep this balanced and fresh. Stinking hot evening here, not ideal tasting conditions, leaves me wondering how good this bottle could have been on a more moderate day.
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12/3/2016 - drjb Likes this wine: 93 Points
At Noosa. Still quite pale green gold. Stelvin closure wins again ! Nose of white nectarine and peach, poached pear and nougat with a clean touch of fresh lemonade. The palate is just a little full and round to be Meursault but the similarity is there. Great length and drive builds a fine finish. An excellent chardonnay and I wish my white burgundy could be so reliable !
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11/10/2016 - Goldstone Likes this wine: 93 Points
Thursday Day Off (Rainbow Restaurant, Sok Kwu Wan, First St,, Lamma Island, Hong Kong): Colour is pale silver-yellow gold. Nose is green and orange melon, white pear, fresh-peeled young hazelnuts... very fresh and young for a 10 year old Chardonnay. Palate is salivating, incredibly elegant with fresh high acidity, white pears, fresh banana and fresh-peeled almonds. Quite heady and very resonant and reverberant on the finish with great length. Extremely elegant. Still has years ahead of it. Has improved considerably since I last opened a bottle 2 years ago. I shall hide my remaining two bottles in the back of the cellar.
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9/3/2016 - mister ree Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted this one, golden straw colour, still some acidity would have thougt that woukd have rounded by now, woukd be interesting to see this in 3 to 5 years
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7/29/2016 - milwaukeewino wrote:
Lots of rich fruit and acidity and very long but also quixotic. Its not harmonious. But just crqcked. We shall see.
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3/18/2016 - chbeaumont wrote: 92 Points
Remains pale; subtle tropical notes, overlaid by deft oak; understated, retains a fresh feel; signs of becoming a little threadbare. Drive on a long finish. Drink up.
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3/13/2016 - the shrub wrote: 89 Points
Highly enjoyable, but lacking the wow factor I've had on previous occasions
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2/3/2016 - beatles Likes this wine: 92 Points
Wonderful showing, this is rich exotic, flamboyant with peach and pineapple, but also a very precise acidity, that keeps everything in place. It is not a dead ringer for a whit burg (as it should not be) but certainly one of the best chardonnays to come out of Australia. Under screwcap.
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12/28/2015 - drjb Likes this wine: 93 Points
Pale yellow with green tinges. Great nose of nectarine, white peach, poached pear and nougat. Palate quite rich and full. Fine drive and finish. A fine glass of Chardonnay maturing slowly and with lovely complexity.
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11/19/2015 - CamWheeler wrote: 90 Points
SLDS November 2015: Lemon curb, spice, smoke and grapefruit. Viscous palate, there is a good amount of acidity which is much needed given the ripeness of the fruit across the whole length. Could do with a little more time as it feels like the structure is there to improve.
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10/13/2015 - Fosgrove Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drank this over several weeks using Coravin despite its screw top - the trick is to insert a cork immediately after removing cap and then give yourself a Coravin pour, thus displacing any O2 with Argon - works a treat!. Great fruit balance and length. Not sure any point in keeping for longer - just right now
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7/27/2015 - TheBosWineGuy Likes this wine: 94 Points
I can't deny the balance of power and finesse in this bottle. Everyone enjoyed it and it went incredibly well with all types of salads and seafoods. Upside from here.
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2/25/2015 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
I swear, this is just stunning right now. Alternating between pear and red apple fruits, cinnamon and spice, and just a hint of that hazelnut character. Every darn glass is different and amazing. Drink it slow it get the maximum enjoyment. On day two its still going strong (amazing it lasted until day two).
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2/19/2015 - jmastores Likes this wine: 92 Points
The first thing I noticed was the brightness of yellow in the glass. I was expecting darker, so maybe this hasn't developed much yet ? Balanced nose with citrus, vanilla and expectation....
Not as full bodied as I expected due to a cooler year. Soft and delicate but full bodied, great wine but not an exceptional year. I'm going to wait a few years for the next, as I think it has more to give.
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11/23/2014 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
From cap, rather good, heading into the perfect zone. Hold just a while longer.
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11/16/2014 - ticklenow1 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Absolutely stunning wine that is only going to get better. Peaches, fig, citrus and that lovely buttery oak make this my favourite Chardonnay by a mile. Not as good as the 2001 but still exceptional.
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11/8/2014 - Fosgrove Likes this wine: 91 Points
Serious wine. Tropical fruit and medium oak with vg acidity and length. I think I preferred when a big younger though
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10/4/2014 - mclanew wrote: 93 Points
Another excellent bottle of this wine, in a perfect drinking window. Tropical fruits and tangerines, butter toast and minerals. Nice structure and finish.
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8/24/2014 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Jumpy right from the crack of the bottle. So heading right into the pocket met thinks. Smokin' acidity on the back end. Delicious with stuffed squash blossoms.
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8/2/2014 - TheBosWineGuy Likes this wine: 93 Points
"Avid Wino" has this pegged. I'd say it's just starting to shine. Begs for food, not a summer sipper for the porch. I may wait to see if the alcohol calms down a bit. If it does, it's a 95 all day long.
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6/4/2014 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
A two 'fer of an Art Series day. Two art series, why not? The '06 is showing just spot on right now. Open, expressive, eased into its concentrated self. Just at the beginning of the drink window. So I guess, since the have been capping them, the drink start time is 8 years after vintage...
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1/23/2014 - chbeaumont wrote: 94 Points
Starbright; a refined nose, understated panache; true finesse, verve, ravishing; evolved, with the balance to age well for 5+ years. Merits contemplation.
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12/31/2013 - Avid Wino wrote: 95 Points
Looooooooooong. Heady. 2 small glasses and I already feel tipsy. Yum. So much going on, pear, grapefruit, peach, oats. Those toasted nuts do it for me. Good to go now, and anytime over the next five years. Don't chill this too much, I recommend drinking at 10-12 degrees celsius, just below typical wine fridge temperature.
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10/7/2013 - Pinotphile123 wrote: 95 Points
Drinking beautifully!
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8/16/2013 - Leigh Johnson Likes this wine: 90 Points
Limpid green gold. Slightly tropical on the nose with hints of mango and pineapple with a splash of citrus. More "French" on the palate, bright acidity but not seeringly sharp, lemon and lime, a nuttiness and a lovely minerality. This wine is far more about finesse than power.
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7/27/2013 - Goldstone Likes this wine: 90 Points
Drank slowly over a long afternoon and early evening as a prelude to a birthday dinner for my wife at home. This is still a lovely bottle of wine but it seems to have lost some delineation compared to the 7 times I have opened a bottle from the case in the past. Still very elegant, though. I will drink up the rest of the case fairly quickly from now.
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7/20/2013 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Far less "exotic" on the nose then the 2007, much more a "return to form" than that vintage. Not that that vintage is bad by any means. And here is the classic mid palate richness that I have come to expect. And a more evolved sense of aromas. Less mineral on the finish, more fat and richness. Delicious.
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5/23/2013 - Vintomas wrote: 93 Points
Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay (AuZone, Stockholm): Light yellow. Nose with smoky notes and citrus, ripe yellow fruit, some flowers, mineral, a hint of herbal notes. Less citrus-dominated nose than the 2008. Palate with citrus, a lot of limes and grapefruit, quite concentrated, definitely high acidity, fresh aftertaste with mineral.
Young, very fresh, could develop more. Cooler impression than the 2008, but a great palate! 93+ pts.
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2/13/2013 - pekingunther wrote: 95 Points
I am at about the middle of the case with this one, and while the wine has been good (91-92) it has always held something back. It has been about 8 months since my last bottle and the wine is really hitting its stride. It's no longer a gangly kid but a young adult. Still with plenty of years in the bottle, but it is just WOW out of the bottle right now. If you have any, open one and see for yourself. My one cautionary note is the temperature. When it is too cold, it doesn't give much away. 12 degrees (or wine fridge temperature) is pretty good, maybe a degree or 2 colder if that is too warm for you. It is a wine to just sit and enjoy.
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12/7/2012 - Dorset Iain wrote: 95 Points
Tasted against 2 other top chardonays & was the pick of the bunch. Opulent with great depth - buttery and smooth.
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11/16/2012 - hongjiu wrote: 94 Points
- Yellow color with medium forming legs and aromas of cut green grass and geranium. It's lacking fruit and has flavours of mushroom and butterscotch with a light/medium body. Satin-Like texture with a medium finish - A big old buttery nose on open soon gave up hints of green grass and mustard flower. Tasting allows a little oak into the picture but quite subdued. Very little acidity left. WA chard at its peak, I think.
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10/27/2012 - Goldstone wrote:
Unscored because we drank this at home in distracted circumstanced because everyone wanted to finish dinner fast and get downstairs to the communal pre-Halloween weekend party. This is to my mind the best Chardonnay that Australia produces and it deserves more contemplation than we gave it tonight. This is normally a 92-93 points for me but I can see how you could underestimate if you drank it in a "party" setting.....it's unusually refined and restrained and reticent by normal Australian standards.
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7/9/2012 - camben wrote: 96 Points
One of the most complex and interesting wines i have ever had. Slightly hazy, minerality, was extremely fresh given its age. Fig notes white pepper. Blood orange peel, yeast and perfect integration of oak
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6/22/2012 - hongjiu wrote: 92 Points
Delicate on the palate with a hint of limestone that tells me this could sit for a while longer. It graced a pan-fried salmon and fava bean mash earlier, and despite a horrible struggle with the dinner's native citrus sauce (that would be the lemon noted by previous tasters) the wine shone through. I enjoyed it a bit chillier than my usual lukewarm preference for New World chardonnays; then again, Margaret River chards are sui generis.
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6/7/2012 - Fur in the glass Likes this wine:
Seemed richer than my memory of the last bottle. Really good Chardonnay with exotic fruit, bit of cream etc.
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5/20/2012 - JimN wrote: 93 Points
Really need to stop opening this vintage, because the bottles keep getting better and this wine could be special in a few more years. Other notes capture the flavor profile very well. I agree with reviewer who compared to a top Burgundy.
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4/17/2012 - Pinotphile123 wrote: 95 Points
This wine is just getting better and better. Great fruit, great oak, perfect balance.
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4/15/2012 - Winestein wrote: 91 Points
Pale straw color. Pineapple and other tropical fruits with a good dose of butter on the nose. On the palate also tropical fruits and butterscotch. Great finish but a little unbalanced because of the huge alcohol (14.5%!). Enjoyed at about 12oC so a little cooler and it would have seemed more restrained. Still this is a well made wine and the French should not criticize it just because it is bigger than a Montrachet.
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3/30/2012 - Goldstone wrote: 92 Points
Two bottles opened a few hours in advance and served to accompany an appetiser of Norwegian Smoked Salmon With Sour Cream & Salmon Roe together with an Araujo Eisele Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2010 which it blew out of the water. Light silver gold colour. Nose is pronounced unsalted Normandy butter, roasted lemons, minerals and crusshed rocks. Palate is lemon drops boiled sweets combined with attractively tart honeycomb. Lovely elegance and it lightened up and became even more elegant with extended time in the glass, especially once it reached cellar-room temperature. Lovely resonance.....rolling resonance. Just very lovely and it impressed everyone.
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3/5/2012 - bendid wrote:
Bit mystified by this one. Was quite disjointed for the first hour, oak poking out, alcohol, seemed too ripe and sweet. Did tighen up and improve from there but not sure what to make of it. I'd leave for a few more years and hope for the best. Off bottle perhaps?
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12/26/2011 - Alexroy wrote: 93 Points
Golden, bright. Fresh, lemon nose. Smooth, citrus, flavours, great length. Beautiful.
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9/22/2011 - Goldstone wrote: 92 Points
Do not keep this at home.....it is irresistable.
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9/18/2011 - helios16 wrote: 93 Points
While not quite ready, still exhibiting terrific complexity with both minerality and stone fruits. Finish was notably long. Can't wait to try this in 5 years.
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9/13/2011 - Goldstone wrote: 92 Points
Sipped over a long and leisurely public holiday afternoon at home in Hong Kong. This just gets better and better every time I drink it.....this has developed a lovely and increasingly understated but powerful harmonious integration of all its elements....more "power without weight" than any high-end white Burgundy I can immediately think of...just lovely.......like Albinoni's Adagio in G Minor translated into wine.
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8/16/2011 - StewartWent wrote: 91 Points
Obvious oak on the nose and palate but fruit is generally up to the task. Full creamy palate is ultra sexy and maybe (almost) too thick. A wine that needs more than a 50ml pour to fully think through but the class is very evident.
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7/12/2011 - AlanM68 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Develops nicely in a decanter as it warms gradually. plenty of white fruits, especially stone fruit. Looking forward to trying this wine every few months for some years.
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6/4/2011 - AlanM68 Likes this wine: 92 Points
lovely tropical nose, maybe some melon and stone fruit. Decanting, letting it warm and develop, the tropical taste gains intensity. Wine is still light (I have this wine going back to 2000 and in 2-3 years I expect) it to gain power, deepen in colour and have stronger tropical tastes. I hope it will last as long as the 2000 which is still a great wine.
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3/17/2011 - jjdegorter wrote: 86 Points
Not great - oak tasted 'separate' from fruit - not integrated. Disappointing.
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2/20/2011 - Fur in the glass wrote:
Really nice Chardonnay, rounded, balanced with depth
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12/24/2010 - Mivvy wrote: 92 Points
Had with christmas dinner. Most people went with a NZ SB so was great to share more of this bottle. Still v light in colour - intense nose of stonefruit/melon. A little restrained initially on the palate but then shows more expansiveness - a whole lot of flavours - peach/pineapple and some well integrated oak. The finish is incredibly long and refreshing.
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12/22/2010 - talesofthegrape wrote: 90 Points
Much like a cross between a white Burgundy and a big new world Chardonnay. Lovely mineral nose with rich tropical fruit flavors. Make no mistake, this is a big wine but very well balanced.
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11/16/2010 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:
Quite overt on the nose with tropical notes of tinned pineapple and some spiced apple and pear. Creamy and round in the mouth with excellent intensity and real persistence to the finish.
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11/16/2010 - yuan wrote: 91 Points
great great great fruit smel, very strong apple+pear attraction but not intensive alchol, well balanced, however, bit sweet, strange...
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10/15/2010 - darren81 wrote:
8/10 - On the nose the wine smells of citus with cream. Lots of lemon and pebbles on the palate. Just hints of oak, butter and bitter zest to it as well. The finish on this is long indeed. The acidity's pretty high too which I quite enjoyed. My wife, on the other hand, found the wine sour and bitter, but she has never been one who enjoyed acid in wines.
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9/29/2010 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Whew... to tell you the turth, it felt like being with an old friend. And I thought about leaving things at that. But my loquaciousness is aperently unstopable. So here it is.
2006 is...
Not as engaging, full, voluptuous or fat as 2004. And I do miss 2004.
Not as quiet and thoughtful, concealed and made for drinking in solitude as the 2005.
Not as saline and long and pure as 2003.
It is the most mineral of the recent set, best now open four hours in decanter. Much saline but more mineral, not the tropical notes of '04 but all Art Series. I may need nothing more for dinner.
A treat and a pleasure to drink, thirsty or hammered.
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8/11/2010 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Smells like an Art Series from a hot year. Drinks big and warm -- not in terms of alc., but in terms of mouthfeel. Noticeably more boisterious than the 2005. It is a very fine Art Series.
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8/8/2010 - pmarsland wrote: 91 Points
A second bottle on succsesive nights, this ordered with crab and sea bass. Arrived a little too close to room temperature and, whereas some fine chardonnays have more chance to express themselves warmer, this I felt wasn't quite as spectacular as it had been on the previous night until it had been chilled a little more. Still lovely, but ever so slightly less citrus for me this time.
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8/7/2010 - pmarsland wrote: 92 Points
Enjoyed with scallops and turbot on the Saturday dinner (before the 1992 Rousseau Clos de Beze, against which it managed to hold its own). Fantastic light, citrus (grapefruity, perhaps a hint of lime) nose and palate. Good length. A touch of oak but complementary, and far from overpowering.
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7/24/2010 - Goldstone wrote: 93 Points
Dinner with Todd & Mina (The Library, Crown Wine Cellars, Hong Kong): On top form. Nose and palate were both oak followed by citrus, with the oak descending and the citrus predominating with extended time in the glass. Huge lightness, freshness, minerality, length and resonance........like a young Montrachet. Brilliant.
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4/29/2010 - chatters wrote:
Not massive fruit but hints of nectarine and gentle application of oak. Very good, also exhibits minerality on the finish. Good.
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4/1/2010 - Goldstone wrote: 92 Points
Three bottles opened but not decanted 2-3 hours before serving. Light green gold colour. Tight lemony minerally nose. Palate is WOW!......drop-dead gorgeous elegance and poise with lots of fruity lemon and quite swweet but also with a very sharp grapefruit acidity. Good length. Still young and needs a couple of more years at least to show its true colours.
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12/25/2009 - pmarsland wrote: 92 Points
Perth and Margaret River Dec 2009; 11/12/2009-2/1/2010: Light on its feet yet by no means short of power, creamy with an unusual but very pleasant grapefruit nuance. Long, long finish. Terrific stuff!
Wonderful Christmas Day partner for crayfish starter, bought at the cellar door after tasting there the previous week.
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9/21/2009 - Alex H wrote: 86 Points
Australia Wine Trip; 9/20/2009-9/21/2009 (Margaret River): Floral lifted lemon cream.Good minerals lining some creaminess and fresh crisp aussie fruit with cardamon spices. However, different from the other chards tasted, this displays a lovely montrachet like nuance on the palate.
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8/29/2009 - Goldstone wrote: 92 Points
Angela's Birthday Party (Crown Wine Cellars, Hong Kong): As light and silvery in colour as a steel fermented Sauvignon Blanc.Nose is gunflint, fresh lemon peel and wet warm pebbles. Palate is rich, deep creamy, lemony citrus, acidic freshness and a minerality remniscent of Epsom Salts. Quite a lot of body As it comes towards cool room temperature it becomes fantastically creamy buttery with a very persistent freshness. Huge length and good resonance in the head on the finish. This is very good indeed.
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