Found another bottle. Had this with COVID takeout from Stissing. Salmon and bouiabaisse. Superb wine! Great balance of fruit, acidity,good length. Yummy will live longer but is really really good right now.
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Purchased at auction some years back, this bottle of '07 Belle Cote (in magnum) was bought with a sister in law in mind, who raved about Peter Michel Chardonnay. Unfortunately, we never had the opportunity to drink it with her and the bottle sat in my cellar since.
I regularly drink red wine with up to three decades of age but rarely drink older white wine, so I was anxious to try this -- particularly after having read the glorious reviews of other Cellar Tracker users, who gave scores approaching 100. My adult children gathered for Christmas eve presented the perfect opportunity (my wife and I barely finish a bottle these days let alone a magnum).
Decanting showed a wine of deep golden hue. Not oxidized but displaying just a touch of caramelized burnt sugar. A lively discussion ensued about the absence or presence of fruit. Most certainly apricots in my view. Quite unctuous, the Belle Cote came across as a dessert wine to others. That was not my view. A number noted the high alcohol content of this vintage (15.2%), which made us heady as the decanter drained. I wouldn't score this a near perfect wine but the Belle Cote certainly privileged us with an evening of wonderful conversation, eating and drinking. Thank you Peter Michel.
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SO'd for an hour, med. gold, creamy, yellow fruit, med. finish; outstanding & ready to drink. This was a much better bottle than my last: lighter in color & creamier
A bit disjointed and austere at opening but after about 45 min opened into a lovely lush aged chardonnay. Peach, pears, marzipan, nuts and minerals. Full bodied with ripe fruit. Long finish. I wouldn’t wait too much longer though.
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Light color, showing no visible signs of age. Notes of marshmallow, orchard fruit, honeysuckle and malted milk. Apple, fig, vanilla and honey wafer on the palate. Long finish.
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W cod based stew (fennel, potatoes) at dinner party. Steve, Martin, Jeff Cathy, Bob, Myriam, patrick Colleen and Catherine. Very good wine, most people chose a William Selyem Pinot, so i could taste this a few times. This has developed fantastically! Incredible elegance bLance and power. This stands out as a superb expression of chardonnay. Yummy. (This was in the basement but not in CT inventory!)
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Very well developed and ready now. Well constructed, integrated and stone fruit flavor of perhaps peach but a tad of grapefruit. One of the nicer chards you can have and at almost 10 years it is ready now but might age for 3-5 years more.
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On the porch with Val/Eileen/Meredith, drank with cheeses and olives. Chilled, PnP, drank over an hour+.
From prior notes: "Medium gold color.Nose of orchard fruits, fig and vanilla. Palate of citrus, pears, lemon curd, mango, white flowers. Oak well integrated on mid and back palate. Creamy texture, medium/long finish."
Still hanging in there, rich palate and texture. Well into its secondary phase, drinking beautifully now. Not likely to improve much but should hold this level (based on this bottle)
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Creamy, showing an amber-yellow, the word bouquet comes to mind to describe the array of flavors, aging gracefully and seems like it can go a while, this is a very very good Chardonnay
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On a snowy day in Princeton, opened while making a cassoulet for the evening...Its been a few years since I have had this. Last bottle from this vintage.
Medium gold color.Nose of orchard fruits, fig and vanilla. Palate of citrus, pears, lemon curd, mango, white flowers. Oak well integrated on mid and back palate. Creamy texture, medium/long finish.
Wine is well into its secondary phase, very good but will not improve much from here. Would drink over next 2-3 years
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GREAT BODY, PEACHES, APRICOTS, AND SPICE IN THE NOSE. TROPICAL FRUITS, PEARS, MELONS, AND A HINT OF SPICE IN THE FLAVOR. NICE COMPLEXITY AND A LONG FINISH.
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Pale gold. Yes I just had this the day before, but this was for a tasting group. Lovely mix a flowers, pear and mango. Mouth was smooth, mouthcoating with vanillins, pear, mango in cream. Wonderful and my last bottle.
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Light yellow color with a youthful greenish tint. Aromas of vanilla, apple and fig. Full-bodied with flavors of fig paste, orchard frut and tropical fruit. The oak is balanced by the abundant fruit. Long finish. I came back to this toward the end of the evening- the oak has faded further and notes of lemon oil, white peach and pear are evident. Absolutely terrific. 96+ pts.
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Opened by Allred at Anvil for his birthday. Holy crap this was fantastic. Notes of lemon oil, citrus and tropical fruits, with a rather large, but well integrated dollop of oak. This was easily my WOTN at dinner.
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Yellow with a hint of green. Nose blew away the most recent bottle, with mango, pineapple, cinnamon, vanilla. Taste was smooth, all of the nose with a licorice hint at the end of the long finish. Wonderful.
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Wow! Great wine. Has added flavor and depth in last two years. Wendi loved it too. A great wine to witness the Warriors get back to playing good ball. Go Warriors! Northern California wine for a Northern California team!
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Great, great wine. Drank the 2008 a week or so ago, and this was a shade better as a result of a bit more acidity and freshness. Rich, deep and hedonistic. Enjoy, but may even improve.
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Very decent Chardonnay. I got grapefruit as the major flavor. Not oaked, and unlike many California cabs. The was a complexity to this wine that was hard to place, but nevertheless was present. Nice light straw color. Feel it is near it's window. Would not age it more than 2-5 years tops for fear of losing fruit, though I recognize others may try longer. Even those who aren't wild about chardonnay should like this one. Have a lot of faith in this producer; seems like each vintage, no matter good or bad, these wines are above the cut. Recommended.
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Brought this as a backup to a lobster fest with 6 friends. Organizer of the event is a white burg guy. My primary bottle was an 04 Fevre Le Clos which was disgustingly maderized. All of us enjoyed the Michael and the burg fans who usually disdain CA chards commented favorably on the abscence of oak which is contrary to several recent CT reviews. Pale straw in color. Pear and vanilla on the nose. Delicious palate with pear, lots of spice and nice minerality. I enjoyed this a lot. Beautiful and interesting balanced palate.
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For my palate, this is the most unusual of the PM's, year in and out. It has a smoky character that the others do not. In addition to a very long finish and lots of complex other flavors. Very good chard.
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Wow. Kongsgaardian in every way and balanced with a long finish. This bottle truly stands out different from the other half dozen I've gone through in the past. I hope my others are like this one.
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Light yellow. Pear, vanilla, oak on the nose, medium-full body, rich ripe fruit, oak melds well with rich lush fruit on palate, long finish. Outstanding.
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Light yellow. Strong nose of pear vanilla, oak, medium-full body, rich ripe fruit, oak notable on the palate as well but plenty of rich lush fruit to match it if you don't mind oak, long finish. Outstanding.
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At Francisco's on The River, Wash Crossing PA. Great spot. With Wendy,Joe, Andrea and David. Joe brought this one
I always have a wow reaction to nicely aged Peter Michael Chards. Consistent with prior notes. Rich, luxurious Chardonnay, Burgundian style, not too heavy, oak is strong but doesn't overwhelm. Candied pears, vanilla, some citrus and lemon curd.
From memory, was probably a bit better than my last bottle. Mid palate flavors are very pronounced. Finish is 30 seconds. Outstanding
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Pale gold. Nose of allspice and cinnamon and vanilla, anise. Taste was minerally, hint bitterness and vailla on the finish, definite spicyness throughout. It is getting into the spice phase, losing the fruit of the younger phase.
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Lots going on here. Oily white with layers of flavor. White peach, apricot, citrus zest and a nutty finish. A bit disjointed though on both the palate and the nose. Tending toward heat. Drank at near 55 cellar temp somperhaps whould cool down a touch.
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This is a big wine. Smelling it reminded me of walking through a bakery/confectionary -- creme brûlée, butterscotch, nutmeg, lemon and green apple. Thick and rich on the palate, with notes of lemon curd, baked apples, cinnamon, and nutmeg. This probably sounds horrible to many a purist, but it worked for me on this particular occasion.
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Peter Michael never disappoints. Very rich and concentrated Chardonnay. Oak is strong (as expected) in this wine. As the oak blows off a bit you get candied pears, vanilla, some citrus and lemon curd.
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Pale gold. Nose was a mellow mix of winter spices, vanilla, and a mango juice mix--later a floral element arrived. Taste was mellow, smooth, no one real taste pops out, but quite good with no alcohol in the finish.
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One bottle tasted rich, with almost sweet fruit, while the other bottle was more minerality, less pronounced fruit. Both opened at same time. Both nice, but in different ways, and I was expecting more given the rating.
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15.2% alcohol. this followed the la carrierre and was put to the test based on berserker thread. not a great deal of differences on display, except this wine was not decanted as it was more expressive on opening. we're still drinking our 05s so a long way to go to get to this vintage, but what i've sampled so far falls short of the outstanding 04s. tropical with oak. if you want a baseline, my favorite chards are from domaine leflaive, and i don't expect or want PM chards to mimic or compete with them. viva la difference.
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Along with so many others I really love Peter Michael wines. This is no exception. I think this wine has evolved. I get strong pear, mellon and mango. The nose as usual is more floral than the taste on the palate but they are very consistent. I get no hint of Oak although I know some is there. Good acidity for aging but how long can I wait? 2 more bottles, we'll see.
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Filling in w/the Friday Brown Bag Group (Rich & Dana's): Pale yellow color. Aromas of banana and tropical fruit with obvious mineral overtones. Terrific balance, with flavors of apple and mineral with nice underlying acidity. Guessed 2005/2006 Peter Michael. 93+ pts.
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I am a sucker for Peter Michael wines when they are made this good! Well, that happens to be the case nine times out of 10 - not bad year-in, year- out. This wine has a strikingly complex nose of melon, guava, pears, vanilla and lightly butter/ciitrus oil brushed rolls. The plate is saturated with tons of chardonnay fruits in a well balanced and textured mouth feel that is full, round and satisfying. Drink for the next five years with tons of enjoyment!
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Pear and melon on the nose. Pears on the palate. A decent amount of vanilla and oak on the finish with a touch of sweetness. Very enjoyable - just not quite sure it is worth the tariff.
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This took some time to open up- initially pretty oak dominated. After ~ 1 hr and some warming, the medium bodied fruit flavors emerged and the oak retreated. Very nice by the end of the bottle- my wife (who despises buttery, over the top chardonnay) liked this a lot declaring this the new house chardonnay...
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This is a very nice chard, creamy, not overly oaked, nice balance, but the fact that people pay 70+ for this wine is just absurd. There are far to many $20+ wines that are just as good if not better then this. The Madigan Chardonnay is very similar and has a $20 price point. I do however have to give credit to the wine maker for keeping to a more tru burgundian chardonnay from CA and not letting the Oak and butter take over. This is a great wine for $25, an average wine for $75.
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One of the best CA Chards I've had. Ultra fine frame and mouth feel. A great blend of tropical and light floral flavors, some pineapple, peach, apple, some vanilla and oak. I even get a small amount of slate and mineral on the finish. Definitely young and needs an hour or so to open up. A very complex and fantastic wine, even those who say they don't like whites will love this one. Brought this bottle to a restaurant and had it with red snapper and scallops.
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Absolute cacophony of flavors, beyond any wine I've experienced. Fresh cut flowers, melon, tangerine on the nose. Layers of flavors to the end of time, the most memorable were of coconut butter, melon, vanilla bean and papaya. Honestly, perhaps too many flavors for my flavor pallet. I'd say one of the best bottles of my life, though not one of my favorites, came off too fruity. Very nice weight on the pallet
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Pretty amazing wine but too young. Rich complex fruit, spannign the tropical notes to melon and peach. firm acidic backbone and vanilla/honey-laced finish that developed with airtime.
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TN: I kill babies. 07 Peter Michael Belle Cote, 07 Carlisle Montafi, 06 Arcadian SH chard (My pad): Spent our whole night killing babies. This wine needs time in the decanter in bottle.. it just needs time. When we first popped it there was ZERO finish. You take a sip and then everything is gone. After about a hour in the decanter you smell strong hints of alcohol with vanilla, brown sugar, apricot, and very light pineapple. Really big creamy wine on the palate, it just coats your mouth with that almost glycerin thickness , very fat and opulent. Some slate, with a little bit of granny smith apple, tropical fruit butter, alcohol, and limited acidity on the palate and some honey finish. it was constantly changing over the night but the alcohol and fat on the wine never went away and it overwhelms me right now.
Edit: Drank the rest the next night. The alcohol significantly lowered, still a big fat wine but with a more focused mid palate of bright tropical fruit with cream and light butter. A slightly longer finish than the night before, but still missing some of that acidity backbone.
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This is really delicious. Pale yellow. Sweet but not at all heavy - in fact, wonderfully light on its feet. Pure sweet tropically fruit, nicely focused. This is 15.1% alcohol, which is hard to believe - this is not weighty. A tour de force, I have to admit, yet also modest and restrained. This is what great Cali Chard should be.
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4/16/2024 - jamesstonemd Does not like this wine:
past due. not drinkable.
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5/25/2020 - MichielV wrote: 92 Points
Found another bottle. Had this with COVID takeout from Stissing. Salmon and bouiabaisse. Superb wine! Great balance of fruit, acidity,good length. Yummy will live longer but is really really good right now.
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12/25/2019 - pepmi wrote: 92 Points
Purchased at auction some years back, this bottle of '07 Belle Cote (in magnum) was bought with a sister in law in mind, who raved about Peter Michel Chardonnay. Unfortunately, we never had the opportunity to drink it with her and the bottle sat in my cellar since.
I regularly drink red wine with up to three decades of age but rarely drink older white wine, so I was anxious to try this -- particularly after having read the glorious reviews of other Cellar Tracker users, who gave scores approaching 100. My adult children gathered for Christmas eve presented the perfect opportunity (my wife and I barely finish a bottle these days let alone a magnum).
Decanting showed a wine of deep golden hue. Not oxidized but displaying just a touch of caramelized burnt sugar. A lively discussion ensued about the absence or presence of fruit. Most certainly apricots in my view. Quite unctuous, the Belle Cote came across as a dessert wine to others. That was not my view. A number noted the high alcohol content of this vintage (15.2%), which made us heady as the decanter drained. I wouldn't score this a near perfect wine but the Belle Cote certainly privileged us with an evening of wonderful conversation, eating and drinking. Thank you Peter Michel.
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2/14/2019 - TheFoodieTraveler Likes this wine: 98 Points
Seriously and shockingly awesome. Sad it was my last bottle. Paired brilliantly w Valentine’s Day fondue
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12/8/2018 - jsmorris707 Likes this wine: 97 Points
SO'd for an hour, med. gold, creamy, yellow fruit, med. finish; outstanding & ready to drink. This was a much better bottle than my last: lighter in color & creamier
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11/25/2018 - jsmorris707 Likes this wine: 94 Points
SO'd for an hour, deep gold, yellow fruit, med. finish; delicious & ready to drink up
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2/7/2018 - jsmorris707 Likes this wine: 94 Points
SO'd in the fridge all day, deep gold, mirrored mclanew's note; delicious, drink up (only bottle)
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11/25/2017 - mclanew wrote: 93 Points
A bit disjointed and austere at opening but after about 45 min opened into a lovely lush aged chardonnay. Peach, pears, marzipan, nuts and minerals. Full bodied with ripe fruit. Long finish. I wouldn’t wait too much longer though.
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7/4/2017 - AllRed wrote: 95 Points
Light color, showing no visible signs of age. Notes of marshmallow, orchard fruit, honeysuckle and malted milk. Apple, fig, vanilla and honey wafer on the palate. Long finish.
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4/22/2017 - Edclr Likes this wine: 94 Points
Home run wine out of mag.
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12/18/2016 - MichielV wrote: 92 Points
W cod based stew (fennel, potatoes) at dinner party. Steve, Martin, Jeff Cathy, Bob, Myriam, patrick Colleen and Catherine. Very good wine, most people chose a William Selyem Pinot, so i could taste this a few times. This has developed fantastically! Incredible elegance bLance and power. This stands out as a superb expression of chardonnay. Yummy. (This was in the basement but not in CT inventory!)
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11/11/2016 - wiscgrad wrote: 85 Points
sadly this is not my cup of tea. too much oak and butter for my taste. well made, but not my style
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10/8/2016 - pmarlo wrote: 94 Points
Very well developed and ready now. Well constructed, integrated and stone fruit flavor of perhaps peach but a tad of grapefruit. One of the nicer chards you can have and at almost 10 years it is ready now but might age for 3-5 years more.
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6/17/2016 - walkerjfw wrote: 93 Points
On the porch with Val/Eileen/Meredith, drank with cheeses and olives. Chilled, PnP, drank over an hour+.
From prior notes: "Medium gold color.Nose of orchard fruits, fig and vanilla. Palate of citrus, pears, lemon curd, mango, white flowers. Oak well integrated on mid and back palate. Creamy texture, medium/long finish."
Still hanging in there, rich palate and texture. Well into its secondary phase, drinking beautifully now. Not likely to improve much but should hold this level (based on this bottle)
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2/20/2016 - capacious Likes this wine: 91 Points
Creamy, showing an amber-yellow, the word bouquet comes to mind to describe the array of flavors, aging gracefully and seems like it can go a while, this is a very very good Chardonnay
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1/23/2016 - walkerjfw wrote: 94 Points
On a snowy day in Princeton, opened while making a cassoulet for the evening...Its been a few years since I have had this. Last bottle from this vintage.
Medium gold color.Nose of orchard fruits, fig and vanilla. Palate of citrus, pears, lemon curd, mango, white flowers. Oak well integrated on mid and back palate. Creamy texture, medium/long finish.
Wine is well into its secondary phase, very good but will not improve much from here. Would drink over next 2-3 years
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12/5/2015 - buckeye76 wrote: 96 Points
GREAT BODY, PEACHES, APRICOTS, AND SPICE IN THE NOSE. TROPICAL FRUITS, PEARS, MELONS, AND A HINT OF SPICE IN THE FLAVOR. NICE COMPLEXITY AND A LONG FINISH.
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12/4/2015 - TheFoodieTraveler Likes this wine: 93 Points
In a good place -but drink 'em up
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7/25/2015 - Harry Cantrell Likes this wine: 96 Points
Pale gold. Yes I just had this the day before, but this was for a tasting group. Lovely mix a flowers, pear and mango. Mouth was smooth, mouthcoating with vanillins, pear, mango in cream. Wonderful and my last bottle.
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7/21/2015 - AllRed wrote: 96 Points
Light yellow color with a youthful greenish tint. Aromas of vanilla, apple and fig. Full-bodied with flavors of fig paste, orchard frut and tropical fruit. The oak is balanced by the abundant fruit. Long finish. I came back to this toward the end of the evening- the oak has faded further and notes of lemon oil, white peach and pear are evident. Absolutely terrific. 96+ pts.
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7/21/2015 - thelostverse wrote: 95 Points
Opened by Allred at Anvil for his birthday. Holy crap this was fantastic. Notes of lemon oil, citrus and tropical fruits, with a rather large, but well integrated dollop of oak. This was easily my WOTN at dinner.
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7/18/2015 - Harry Cantrell Likes this wine: 96 Points
Yellow with a hint of green. Nose blew away the most recent bottle, with mango, pineapple, cinnamon, vanilla. Taste was smooth, all of the nose with a licorice hint at the end of the long finish. Wonderful.
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7/11/2015 - starkravingmad Likes this wine: 95 Points
Outstanding; full bodied; Fruity but not sweet
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6/28/2015 - Harry Cantrell Likes this wine: 94 Points
Pale gold. Nose was a smooth mix of herbs, caramel and cloves. Taste was smooth spicy, caramel taste, not sweet, mouth filling. A joy at 8 years old.
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6/12/2015 - dougie Likes this wine: 95 Points
Wow! Great wine. Has added flavor and depth in last two years. Wendi loved it too. A great wine to witness the Warriors get back to playing good ball. Go Warriors! Northern California wine for a Northern California team!
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4/24/2015 - GA Likes this wine: 94 Points
04/15 Honeydew hue powerful fruit and finish balance. 94 pts
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1/26/2015 - SteelerFan wrote: 97 Points
Great, great wine. Drank the 2008 a week or so ago, and this was a shade better as a result of a bit more acidity and freshness. Rich, deep and hedonistic. Enjoy, but may even improve.
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12/24/2014 - Javatrader wrote: 92 Points
From magnum-
Honeyed nose, butter, cream, and vanilla
Rich and deep with a full body matching the deep golden hues. Honey here too with butter and pear and some toastiness.
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12/7/2014 - TheFoodieTraveler Likes this wine: 94 Points
Very elegant, well-balanced, full-bodied
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7/5/2014 - pmarlo wrote: 93 Points
Very decent Chardonnay. I got grapefruit as the major flavor. Not oaked, and unlike many California cabs. The was a complexity to this wine that was hard to place, but nevertheless was present. Nice light straw color. Feel it is near it's window. Would not age it more than 2-5 years tops for fear of losing fruit, though I recognize others may try longer. Even those who aren't wild about chardonnay should like this one. Have a lot of faith in this producer; seems like each vintage, no matter good or bad, these wines are above the cut. Recommended.
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6/19/2014 - cos82 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Brought this as a backup to a lobster fest with 6 friends. Organizer of the event is a white burg guy. My primary bottle was an 04 Fevre Le Clos which was disgustingly maderized. All of us enjoyed the Michael and the burg fans who usually disdain CA chards commented favorably on the abscence of oak which is contrary to several recent CT reviews. Pale straw in color. Pear and vanilla on the nose. Delicious palate with pear, lots of spice and nice minerality. I enjoyed this a lot. Beautiful and interesting balanced palate.
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6/16/2014 - Edclr Likes this wine: 95 Points
For my palate, this is the most unusual of the PM's, year in and out. It has a smoky character that the others do not. In addition to a very long finish and lots of complex other flavors. Very good chard.
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5/12/2014 - DecoEd wrote: 99 Points
Wow. Kongsgaardian in every way and balanced with a long finish. This bottle truly stands out different from the other half dozen I've gone through in the past. I hope my others are like this one.
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4/20/2014 - DecoEd wrote: 98 Points
Wow... "Kongsgaardian" Butterscotch and Vanilla notes----
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2/14/2014 - DecoEd wrote: 97 Points
Really drinking nicely. Vanilla.
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11/9/2013 - mle50 wrote: flawed
Flawed. Opened one two weeks earlier that was excellent
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8/6/2013 - dbg wrote:
Light yellow. Pear, vanilla, oak on the nose, medium-full body, rich ripe fruit, oak melds well with rich lush fruit on palate, long finish. Outstanding.
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8/3/2013 - fine137 wrote: 93 Points
Excellent for what it is. Drink it with some rich seafood.
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7/31/2013 - dbg wrote:
Light yellow. Strong nose of pear vanilla, oak, medium-full body, rich ripe fruit, oak notable on the palate as well but plenty of rich lush fruit to match it if you don't mind oak, long finish. Outstanding.
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7/26/2013 - walkerjfw wrote: 94 Points
At Francisco's on The River, Wash Crossing PA. Great spot. With Wendy,Joe, Andrea and David. Joe brought this one
I always have a wow reaction to nicely aged Peter Michael Chards. Consistent with prior notes. Rich, luxurious Chardonnay, Burgundian style, not too heavy, oak is strong but doesn't overwhelm. Candied pears, vanilla, some citrus and lemon curd.
From memory, was probably a bit better than my last bottle. Mid palate flavors are very pronounced. Finish is 30 seconds. Outstanding
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7/3/2013 - dougie Likes this wine: 94 Points
Spectacular. White peach and complex without being to thick/heavy. Flawless. One of the best PM's I've had in a while.
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1/19/2013 - jeff nowak wrote: flawed
corked.
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1/5/2013 - Harry Cantrell Likes this wine: 93 Points
Pale gold. Nose of allspice and cinnamon and vanilla, anise. Taste was minerally, hint bitterness and vailla on the finish, definite spicyness throughout. It is getting into the spice phase, losing the fruit of the younger phase.
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12/31/2012 - rpenn77 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Delightful refined and subdued Chardonnay.
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11/22/2012 - MJTed wrote: 90 Points
Lots going on here. Oily white with layers of flavor. White peach, apricot, citrus zest and a nutty finish. A bit disjointed though on both the palate and the nose. Tending toward heat. Drank at near 55 cellar temp somperhaps whould cool down a touch.
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10/18/2012 - JOJ wrote: 93 Points
This is a big wine. Smelling it reminded me of walking through a bakery/confectionary -- creme brûlée, butterscotch, nutmeg, lemon and green apple. Thick and rich on the palate, with notes of lemon curd, baked apples, cinnamon, and nutmeg. This probably sounds horrible to many a purist, but it worked for me on this particular occasion.
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9/9/2012 - rpenn77 wrote: 93 Points
Deep rich chardonnay with a long finish.
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8/17/2012 - NY Wino wrote: 93 Points
Big, bold and delicious. Long finish
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8/3/2012 - walkerjfw wrote: 93 Points
Peter Michael never disappoints. Very rich and concentrated Chardonnay. Oak is strong (as expected) in this wine. As the oak blows off a bit you get candied pears, vanilla, some citrus and lemon curd.
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7/14/2012 - Harry Cantrell wrote: 93 Points
Pale gold. Nose was a mellow mix of winter spices, vanilla, and a mango juice mix--later a floral element arrived. Taste was mellow, smooth, no one real taste pops out, but quite good with no alcohol in the finish.
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5/27/2012 - MJTed wrote: 93 Points
Drank a while back. I don't remember specifics but the wine was still incredibly pure, vibrant and youthful
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2/23/2012 - lvjohn wrote: 94 Points
Wonderful purity and richness. This was an amazing bottle.
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2/11/2012 - patwjr wrote: 93 Points
One bottle tasted rich, with almost sweet fruit, while the other bottle was more minerality, less pronounced fruit. Both opened at same time. Both nice, but in different ways, and I was expecting more given the rating.
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2/11/2012 - shadow wrote: 94 Points
smooth, perfect ballance, sip after sip, each better than the last, this was great on release, now its made my day
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12/24/2011 - jeff nowak wrote: 92 Points
15.2% alcohol. this followed the la carrierre and was put to the test based on berserker thread. not a great deal of differences on display, except this wine was not decanted as it was more expressive on opening. we're still drinking our 05s so a long way to go to get to this vintage, but what i've sampled so far falls short of the outstanding 04s. tropical with oak. if you want a baseline, my favorite chards are from domaine leflaive, and i don't expect or want PM chards to mimic or compete with them. viva la difference.
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11/19/2011 - GrandeSerataFuori wrote: 91 Points
Drank this five months back and didn't log it, but I remember we loved it and my wife OK'd me to splurge on it anytime I wanted to.
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10/22/2011 - mjerome wrote: 94 Points
Along with so many others I really love Peter Michael wines. This is no exception. I think this wine has evolved. I get strong pear, mellon and mango. The nose as usual is more floral than the taste on the palate but they are very consistent. I get no hint of Oak although I know some is there. Good acidity for aging but how long can I wait? 2 more bottles, we'll see.
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9/3/2011 - AllRed wrote: 93 Points
Hasn't lost a thing overnight- maintains wonderful fruit and balance with nice mineral undertones.
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9/2/2011 - AllRed wrote: 93 Points
Filling in w/the Friday Brown Bag Group (Rich & Dana's): Pale yellow color. Aromas of banana and tropical fruit with obvious mineral overtones. Terrific balance, with flavors of apple and mineral with nice underlying acidity. Guessed 2005/2006 Peter Michael. 93+ pts.
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5/30/2011 - DHutch wrote: 97 Points
I am a sucker for Peter Michael wines when they are made this good! Well, that happens to be the case nine times out of 10 - not bad year-in, year- out. This wine has a strikingly complex nose of melon, guava, pears, vanilla and lightly butter/ciitrus oil brushed rolls. The plate is saturated with tons of chardonnay fruits in a well balanced and textured mouth feel that is full, round and satisfying. Drink for the next five years with tons of enjoyment!
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3/1/2011 - cookie7 wrote: 92 Points
Pear and melon on the nose. Pears on the palate. A decent amount of vanilla and oak on the finish with a touch of sweetness. Very enjoyable - just not quite sure it is worth the tariff.
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2/13/2011 - Stan wrote: 93 Points
hard to beat. it'll keep forever, but who has the patience?
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1/9/2011 - mjf@ulkner wrote: 93 Points
This took some time to open up- initially pretty oak dominated. After ~ 1 hr and some warming, the medium bodied fruit flavors emerged and the oak retreated. Very nice by the end of the bottle- my wife (who despises buttery, over the top chardonnay) liked this a lot declaring this the new house chardonnay...
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12/7/2010 - cookie7 wrote: 93 Points
Pears on the nose. Pears and melon on the initial palate. Has buttery elements but they are in balance. Just a hint of sweetness on the finish.
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8/29/2010 - cabrnay wrote: 92 Points
This is a very nice chard, creamy, not overly oaked, nice balance, but the fact that people pay 70+ for this wine is just absurd. There are far to many $20+ wines that are just as good if not better then this. The Madigan Chardonnay is very similar and has a $20 price point. I do however have to give credit to the wine maker for keeping to a more tru burgundian chardonnay from CA and not letting the Oak and butter take over. This is a great wine for $25, an average wine for $75.
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2/28/2010 - Harry Cantrell wrote: 94 Points
pale gold. Nose was a mix of vanilla, citrus, lemon curd, spices. Taste was similar. Just lovely.
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2/26/2010 - Serge Birbrair wrote:
My first reaction was:
highly overpriced. All the other reactions I had were less important.
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2/19/2010 - fine137 wrote: 92 Points
Just not quite singing like I expected.
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2/14/2010 - marcw23 wrote: 94 Points
One of the best CA Chards I've had. Ultra fine frame and mouth feel. A great blend of tropical and light floral flavors, some pineapple, peach, apple, some vanilla and oak. I even get a small amount of slate and mineral on the finish. Definitely young and needs an hour or so to open up. A very complex and fantastic wine, even those who say they don't like whites will love this one. Brought this bottle to a restaurant and had it with red snapper and scallops.
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2/14/2010 - Vertical wrote: 97 Points
Absolute cacophony of flavors, beyond any wine I've experienced. Fresh cut flowers, melon, tangerine on the nose. Layers of flavors to the end of time, the most memorable were of coconut butter, melon, vanilla bean and papaya. Honestly, perhaps too many flavors for my flavor pallet. I'd say one of the best bottles of my life, though not one of my favorites, came off too fruity. Very nice weight on the pallet
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1/11/2010 - mnh wrote: 94 Points
quite good
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7/1/2009 - MJTed wrote: 93 Points
Pretty amazing wine but too young. Rich complex fruit, spannign the tropical notes to melon and peach. firm acidic backbone and vanilla/honey-laced finish that developed with airtime.
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6/6/2009 - jivey wrote: 96 Points
Spectacular, melon, vanilla, pinapple, guava and a ultra fine frame...
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4/27/2009 - Chris-M wrote: 94 Points
Opened up wonderfully after an hour. Honey, pineapple and peach. Sweet but not overly so. Great bottle.
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4/18/2009 - clayfu wrote: 90 Points
TN: I kill babies. 07 Peter Michael Belle Cote, 07 Carlisle Montafi, 06 Arcadian SH chard (My pad): Spent our whole night killing babies. This wine needs time in the decanter in bottle.. it just needs time. When we first popped it there was ZERO finish. You take a sip and then everything is gone. After about a hour in the decanter you smell strong hints of alcohol with vanilla, brown sugar, apricot, and very light pineapple. Really big creamy wine on the palate, it just coats your mouth with that almost glycerin thickness , very fat and opulent. Some slate, with a little bit of granny smith apple, tropical fruit butter, alcohol, and limited acidity on the palate and some honey finish. it was constantly changing over the night but the alcohol and fat on the wine never went away and it overwhelms me right now.
Edit: Drank the rest the next night. The alcohol significantly lowered, still a big fat wine but with a more focused mid palate of bright tropical fruit with cream and light butter. A slightly longer finish than the night before, but still missing some of that acidity backbone.
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4/2/2009 - herberto wrote: 95 Points
This is really delicious. Pale yellow. Sweet but not at all heavy - in fact, wonderfully light on its feet. Pure sweet tropically fruit, nicely focused. This is 15.1% alcohol, which is hard to believe - this is not weighty. A tour de force, I have to admit, yet also modest and restrained. This is what great Cali Chard should be.
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