BYO Blind Tasting and Dinner (House of Nanda - Chicago IL): Tasted double blind. I had no idea what was in this glass, and most others were equally confused. It didn't seem like Chardonnay, but so fat and flabby and unappealing. I will give this the benefit of the doubt and say it was a poor bottle, but this can easily be thought to be 2003 Cali chardonnay at its worst, ripest logical conclusion. If not flawed, it was an 82 point wine.
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Very disappointing. Sickeningly sweet and so oaky it overwhelmed the slight pineapple notes. Without a doubt, the worst Peter Michael wine I've ever had. Sad that I paid close to $80 for this on release, but I'm thankful that this was the only bottle I bought.
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Pineapple, oak, butter, and lemon aromas. Similar palate with a smooth creaminess and nice minerality. Beautiful 8 year old Chardonnay. Still has a decent life, good another 2-3 years, I'd guess.
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This has not been my favorite PM 03, but last night's bottle was excellent. Maybe it was the food, or the company, or just a great bottle, but everything was in harmony, long finish, very well balanced, still showing some oak but not overly so, still some years left in it.
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A good chardonnay, but I agree with recent post that this is not the best PM chard. We drank a La Carriere 2002 or 2003 a month ago and it was much better. This does seem a bit acidic, over oaked. some nice tropical fruits but a bit short on the finish
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Golden color with pleasant nose of tropical fruit and vanilla. However, the wine came across as a bit acidic and overly oaked for a PM. Nice to drink but not up to snuff for the cost of this wine and a letdown versus other PM chards.
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nice golden color but not much going on the nose. The taste definitely showed some melon and a bit of pineapple. While this was enjoyed, it still is probably at the end of it's drinking span.
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Deep golden color. Exciting smoky nose with intense stone minerality, dried nuts, coffee, mocha, iodine and tropical fruit. Astonishing intensity and complexity. On the palate it is a monster of concentration, flavor and intensity. One of the most profound wines I have ever had. The aromas of the wine remained in the glass hours after the wine was finished...
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Oinofiloi Holiday Tasting. Golden hue. A complex nose with ripe citrus and apples balanced with nuts, oak and a mineral edge. Later herbs, flint and mocha (?) emerge. A full body with buttery honeyed notes on the palate. Long. A very good New World Chardonnay.
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Oaky. Lots of buttery, tropical fruit. Pleasant enough to quaff, but a little too heavy to be elegant. My only bottle and I won't rush out to buy another.
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Pineapple oak flavors dominant, has put on weight since purchase, but not for the better. Lacks the acidity/balance/minerality that it had then. Can't compare to Vanessa's 04 at Peay.(Vanessa Wang former winemaker at Peter Michael.) For the price I expected a lot more. It has failed to develop the complexity that a well aged Ramey, or Leeuwin have, and at the price is a poor QPR.Have one bottle left which I will consume soonest.
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Smooth. After a little over an hour a citric/lemon taste dominated the finish. Wierd but still very enjoyable. I think I'll start drinking some of these sooner than later.
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Clear, light golden. Straw, apples and butterscotch nose. Medium bodied, soft, moderate richness, oak, somewhat hot finish. The richness didn't hold up and the wine was overwhelmed by bitter oak on the finish.
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Dinner at New Heights: Ripe nose of pineapple, tropical fruits, and some vanilla from the oak. On the palate this was a little disjointed. The oak and alcohol were way out of balance. I am guessing this might have been an off bottle just in a weird phase right now. Everyone at the table thought this was a little off.
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Judgment of Chicago - California Cab vs White Burgundy (Streeterville Neighborhood, Chicago IL): Tasted as part of the ”Judgment of Chicago WLTV Offline” Tasting at one of our esteemed offline colleague’s residence in Chicago on March 29th, 2008. The purpose was to compare and contrast 14 high-end California Chardonnays and White Burgundies side-by-side in a double blind tasting.
Sight: Light straw color Nose: Tree fruits; Straw; Melons; Based on the nose, I pegged it to be a Burgundy – I was fooled! Taste: Fruit; Oak; Stones; Minerals; Acidic; Will benefit from additional aging???? Overall: Very nice wine (92+ pts.)
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taste: nice fat and focused feel on the palate with tangerines, sea salt, and slate
overall: really nice and focused with a good finish that unfortunetly is a bit quick. It's a tease as you get that nice citrusy finish and then it goes away
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Rich vanilla oak and secondary notes. Primary tropical fruit (pineapple and a touch of banana) flavors a bit muted relative to a year ago. I enjoyed the youthful pleasures of this better ypon release.
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14.7% alcohol. the 03 vintage for peter michael is a huge success. while this is not my favorite example, it demonstrates how great the year is. excellent acidity, and richness. i presume the major criticism would be the oak treatment, yet i'm not unpleasantly effected by it.
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piss yellow. Rich nose of citrus, lemon, just a hint of oak. Rich mouthfeel with some butter, oak, fruits and a hint of alcohol. My words suggest a middling wine, this is far from.
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Delicious. Showing lots of pineapple and citrus right now...not quite as buttery as most PM. Probably at peak drinking over the next 12 months or so...
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Once again, outstanding, although starting to show its age a tiny bit. This time, the overwhelming initial presentation was of fruit -- a whole big basket of it, from the very first sip. Much lighter than the first bottle, but nonetheless awesome. Truly a gift, from the earth and sun, through the winemaker, to us. Fantastic!
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I got a whiff of something odd at opening and think this was TCA damaged. Never showed much but an oaky vanilla and no real fruit. Third 2003 PM I've had which was blatantly or probably corked.
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Elegant and subdued in a good way. Lemon and citrus with excellent balance. A touch of tropical fruit, but not so much as to make it incompatable with food. Deft oak treatment.
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Light, almost greenish color but another power-packed PM chard. Crisp acidity and perfect balance right to the finish. Concentrated flavors with tropical fruit yielding to lemon butter.
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Birthday dinner (Casa de Flubis): Much lighter in color than the other PM Chardonnays I have had from this vintage. This looked, and smelled more White Burgundy esque than the the others as well too. Lemon oil, hazelnut and a bit of glycerin on the nose. Medium to full bodied, meyer lemon, dessert apples and a nice minerality. 30+ sec finish. Well done mixing the new with the old.
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Excellent Chard! Starts off with pear then peach at the beginning of the palate. Then it starts the citrus and tropical flavors. With all of that, it is smooth and seemless.
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Hate to be the contrarian here, but this wine was very disappointing; perhaps all the hype unreasonably raised my expectations. Maybe I paid too much. Drank this one to see if the next vintage was worth purchasing. Passed on the new one. We definitely prefer Rombauer for a fraction of the price.
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Very impressive! A wonderful "young" PM Chard. compared to past experiences. Full fruit still somewhat buried underneath some oak, but showing great. Acid showing a bit high compared to fruit/sugar/oak right now, but still wonderful. Drink by itself now.. for a good "food" experience (how I prefer most Chards..) give it another year, 2 if you can wait. Bravo!
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Excellent chardonnay. Almost a deep gold color. Huge tropical fruits and hazelnuts on the nose. This is a monster on the palate, just screaming California. More hazelnuts on the finish, which lasts a good 30 seconds. Too bad it's my last one.
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What a great Chardonnay. Honestly, Peter Michael Winery really knows what they're doing. We served right out of the cellar, so close to 55 degrees; a little flyer I got from the winery with my shipment said that Chardonnay should be served around 60 degrees, rather than at the usual hyper-chilled temperature (and there's an interesting article in this month's Food & Wine that touches on this). Donna's first comment was, "I wish this were a little bit colder", but I think that's more a function of custom than taste, and I propose to keep serving whites at a higher temperature (and reds at a lower) to see what happens. Nice nose; straw color, tiny hint of green (always a good leading indicator, in my experience); mildly cloudy on first pour (another good leading indicator). Oddly, my very first thought on tasting was "salmon"; there was something almost fishy about the first taste. That having been said, I couldn't have chosen a better wine to stand up to the power of Donna's unparalleled pesto; this wine was a wonder as a dinner accompaniment. All of the buttery notes came through and through. Just fantastic. In no time, the two of us polished off the whole bottle (and a whole pound of pasta -- if gluttony truly is a sin, then take me now). All I can do is to say thanks for how fortunate we are in this house to be able to enjoy a wine such as this, and how fortunate we all are that the wine is there to be enjoyed. Well done.
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It is the finish that makes this a very good wine. The butter is mixed in nicely with the green apple and touch of some tropical fruit. While buttery finish the butter is far from overwhelming, and the wine is so nicely balanced that it all comes together nicely.
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Drank at Colvin Run Tavern in Tysons Corner VA with some of my old Freddie Mac cronies. We started with a 1998 Ch. Beaucastel at the bar (thanks to Andrea Chapman). We opened up the dinner proper with this chardonnay, accompanied by a lobster appetizer. Good goldish-green (almost like brown-tinged Mountain Dew(R)). Great clove-dominated spice nose, hints of nutmeg and tropical fruits too. Mouth was all about tropical fruits (mango, pineapple), butter, and just the right amount of slightly toasty oak. It's a beautiful thing, and I am glad that I still have a couple more bottles in my cellar.
P.S. Try the Colvin Run Tavern. The food, the ambience (entire facility is non-smoking), and the wine list are all top-notch.
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Couldn't resist opening one of these things (part of my Spring 2005 allocation). Drank it alone (with curtains drawn, lights off, and IPod on, naturally) without accompanying food. Gold straw color, slight aphid-green hint too. Thick disk atop rim. Initial taste was actually somewhat disconcerting, because it smacked of Madeira. It quickly settled into a peach + apple + pineapple with just a hint of toasty oak. It will probably prove to be a great food wine. Good lingering (45 seconds plus) finish. Like Maxwell House, it was "good to the last drop". My kinda Chardonnay.
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10/16/2017 - rosey wrote: flawed
Corked
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3/4/2017 - Burgundy Al wrote: flawed
BYO Blind Tasting and Dinner (House of Nanda - Chicago IL): Tasted double blind. I had no idea what was in this glass, and most others were equally confused. It didn't seem like Chardonnay, but so fat and flabby and unappealing. I will give this the benefit of the doubt and say it was a poor bottle, but this can easily be thought to be 2003 Cali chardonnay at its worst, ripest logical conclusion. If not flawed, it was an 82 point wine.
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10/2/2015 - Acohen Likes this wine: 91 Points
Rich with lemon, butter and tropical notes and was great match with fried lobster
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12/26/2014 - amanofwords Does not like this wine: 80 Points
Very disappointing. Sickeningly sweet and so oaky it overwhelmed the slight pineapple notes. Without a doubt, the worst Peter Michael wine I've ever had. Sad that I paid close to $80 for this on release, but I'm thankful that this was the only bottle I bought.
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9/17/2014 - kstoddard Does not like this wine:
Undrinkable
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8/6/2014 - JimN Likes this wine: 93 Points
Couldn't say it better than jsteckbeck note, so I won't. Really good stuff!
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11/2/2011 - jsteckbeck wrote: 93 Points
Pineapple, oak, butter, and lemon aromas. Similar palate with a smooth creaminess and nice minerality. Beautiful 8 year old Chardonnay. Still has a decent life, good another 2-3 years, I'd guess.
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8/7/2011 - markellen.foodies@gmail.com wrote: 92 Points
Very good. Similar in acidity and minerality to the 02 Leeuwin, but not quite as good.
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6/20/2011 - Samadhi wrote: 91 Points
Delicious expression of chardonnay. Lots of butter and oak, but doesn't overwhelm the fruit. I'm looking forward to the next bottle.
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5/7/2011 - ThatReeder wrote: 91 Points
Tropical fruit, light oak and some vanilla. #thatbottlenight
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1/13/2011 - Edclr wrote: 93 Points
This has not been my favorite PM 03, but last night's bottle was excellent. Maybe it was the food, or the company, or just a great bottle, but everything was in harmony, long finish, very well balanced, still showing some oak but not overly so, still some years left in it.
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12/24/2010 - Federsin wrote:
Lots of wood, oak dominates the fruit, high alcohol, heat, not very precise and all over the place, maybe just not my style . . .
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8/31/2010 - JacksonLee wrote: 90 Points
A good chardonnay, but I agree with recent post that this is not the best PM chard. We drank a La Carriere 2002 or 2003 a month ago and it was much better. This does seem a bit acidic, over oaked. some nice tropical fruits but a bit short on the finish
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4/5/2010 - NY Wino wrote: 90 Points
Golden color with pleasant nose of tropical fruit and vanilla. However, the wine came across as a bit acidic and overly oaked for a PM. Nice to drink but not up to snuff for the cost of this wine and a letdown versus other PM chards.
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9/2/2009 - 9 and 3/4 wrote: 95 Points
Drinks thick, fat, lush, deep, tropical, fruit, mellow citrus.
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6/10/2009 - MJTed wrote: 92 Points
Signature PM rich tropical fruit has yielded to secondary notes of honey, vanilla and caramel. Still pretty fat and lush.
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5/31/2009 - brynmair wrote: 90 Points
nice golden color but not much going on the nose. The taste definitely showed some melon and a bit of pineapple. While this was enjoyed, it still is probably at the end of it's drinking span.
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3/21/2009 - JScott wrote: 90 Points
No reason to hold. Not in decline, but from here there is probably more downside than upside.
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12/18/2008 - jeff nowak wrote: flawed
oxidized.
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12/17/2008 - Stefanos T. Likes this wine: 97 Points
Deep golden color. Exciting smoky nose with intense stone minerality, dried nuts, coffee, mocha, iodine and tropical fruit. Astonishing intensity and complexity. On the palate it is a monster of concentration, flavor and intensity. One of the most profound wines I have ever had. The aromas of the wine remained in the glass hours after the wine was finished...
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12/17/2008 - KostaKats wrote: 90 Points
Oinofiloi Holiday Tasting. Golden hue. A complex nose with ripe citrus and apples balanced with nuts, oak and a mineral edge. Later herbs, flint and mocha (?) emerge. A full body with buttery honeyed notes on the palate. Long. A very good New World Chardonnay.
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8/3/2008 - ginfizz wrote: 90 Points
Not bad, mature, medium weight, balanced. Not picking up more complexity, I'd say drink up.
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7/11/2008 - Dubliner wrote: 90 Points
Oaky. Lots of buttery, tropical fruit. Pleasant enough to quaff, but a little too heavy to be elegant. My only bottle and I won't rush out to buy another.
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6/6/2008 - markellen.foodies@gmail.com wrote: 90 Points
Pineapple oak flavors dominant, has put on weight since purchase, but not for the better. Lacks the acidity/balance/minerality that it had then. Can't compare to Vanessa's 04 at Peay.(Vanessa Wang former winemaker at Peter Michael.) For the price I expected a lot more. It has failed to develop the complexity that a well aged Ramey, or Leeuwin have, and at the price is a poor QPR.Have one bottle left which I will consume soonest.
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5/14/2008 - davidn wrote:
Smooth. After a little over an hour a citric/lemon taste dominated the finish. Wierd but still very enjoyable. I think I'll start drinking some of these sooner than later.
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4/10/2008 - gdbarton1@gmail.com wrote:
Clear, light golden. Straw, apples and butterscotch nose. Medium bodied, soft, moderate richness, oak, somewhat hot finish.
The richness didn't hold up and the wine was overwhelmed by bitter oak on the finish.
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4/4/2008 - popquizkid wrote:
Dinner at New Heights: Ripe nose of pineapple, tropical fruits, and some vanilla from the oak. On the palate this was a little disjointed. The oak and alcohol were way out of balance. I am guessing this might have been an off bottle just in a weird phase right now. Everyone at the table thought this was a little off.
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3/29/2008 - Claudio161 wrote: 92 Points
Judgment of Chicago - California Cab vs White Burgundy (Streeterville Neighborhood, Chicago IL): Tasted as part of the ”Judgment of Chicago WLTV Offline” Tasting at one of our esteemed offline colleague’s residence in Chicago on March 29th, 2008. The purpose was to compare and contrast 14 high-end California Chardonnays and White Burgundies side-by-side in a double blind tasting.
Sight: Light straw color
Nose: Tree fruits; Straw; Melons; Based on the nose, I pegged it to be a Burgundy – I was fooled!
Taste: Fruit; Oak; Stones; Minerals; Acidic; Will benefit from additional aging????
Overall: Very nice wine (92+ pts.)
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3/29/2008 - KeithAkers wrote: 92 Points
judgment of chicago-chard style (LFF's place, chicago IL): nose: deep nose of slate, sea salt, tangerine, and huge amounts of lemon
taste: nice fat and focused feel on the palate with tangerines, sea salt, and slate
overall: really nice and focused with a good finish that unfortunetly is a bit quick. It's a tease as you get that nice citrusy finish and then it goes away
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2/4/2008 - MJTed wrote: 90 Points
Rich vanilla oak and secondary notes. Primary tropical fruit (pineapple and a touch of banana) flavors a bit muted relative to a year ago. I enjoyed the youthful pleasures of this better ypon release.
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1/18/2008 - jeff nowak wrote: 92 Points
14.7% alcohol. the 03 vintage for peter michael is a huge success. while this is not my favorite example, it demonstrates how great the year is. excellent acidity, and richness. i presume the major criticism would be the oak treatment, yet i'm not unpleasantly effected by it.
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11/2/2007 - Harry Cantrell wrote: 91 Points
gold. Cloves, cinnamon, butterscotch. Took time to open in the glass. Very good, but drink up. I am.
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9/30/2007 - Harry Cantrell wrote: 92 Points
piss yellow. Rich nose of citrus, lemon, just a hint of oak. Rich mouthfeel with some butter, oak, fruits and a hint of alcohol. My words suggest a middling wine, this is far from.
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8/29/2007 - nvandyk wrote: 93 Points
Delicious. Showing lots of pineapple and citrus right now...not quite as buttery as most PM. Probably at peak drinking over the next 12 months or so...
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8/24/2007 - Quequeg wrote: 93 Points
Once again, outstanding, although starting to show its age a tiny bit. This time, the overwhelming initial presentation was of fruit -- a whole big basket of it, from the very first sip. Much lighter than the first bottle, but nonetheless awesome. Truly a gift, from the earth and sun, through the winemaker, to us. Fantastic!
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7/5/2007 - dougie wrote: 93 Points
Such a classy wine. Wonderful flavors and fantastic finish. I love Peter Michael Chard's!!!
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6/23/2007 - Harry Cantrell wrote: 93 Points
Very good, but seemed a hair disjointed. Bottle variation? Still, lovely overall.
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5/28/2007 - Hillbilly wrote: flawed
I got a whiff of something odd at opening and think this was TCA damaged. Never showed much but an oaky vanilla and no real fruit. Third 2003 PM I've had which was blatantly or probably corked.
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5/17/2007 - rvalicenti wrote: 94 Points
An excellent wine. Made from ripe grapes as suggested by the tropical tones.
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3/24/2007 - JScott wrote: 92 Points
Big Chardonnay, but stays this side over over the top.
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1/29/2007 - JimmyV wrote: 93 Points
Elegant and subdued in a good way. Lemon and citrus with excellent balance. A touch of tropical fruit, but not so much as to make it incompatable with food. Deft oak treatment.
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1/28/2007 - MJTed wrote: 94 Points
Light, almost greenish color but another power-packed PM chard. Crisp acidity and perfect balance right to the finish. Concentrated flavors with tropical fruit yielding to lemon butter.
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1/28/2007 - Bunski wrote: 93 Points
Another superb bottle...
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11/27/2006 - Flubis wrote: 93 Points
Birthday dinner (Casa de Flubis): Much lighter in color than the other PM Chardonnays I have had from this vintage. This looked, and smelled more White Burgundy esque than the the others as well too. Lemon oil, hazelnut and a bit of glycerin on the nose. Medium to full bodied, meyer lemon, dessert apples and a nice minerality. 30+ sec finish. Well done mixing the new with the old.
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11/19/2006 - Bunski wrote: 93 Points
Consistent with prior notes, drinking very well, tropical fruit and butter and oak and citrus on the fairly long finish.
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11/16/2006 - mnh wrote:
Very good
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8/5/2006 - dougie wrote: 94 Points
Excellent Chard! Starts off with pear then peach at the beginning of the palate. Then it starts the citrus and tropical flavors. With all of that, it is smooth and seemless.
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6/17/2006 - Geoffrey Carter wrote: 90 Points
Well done.
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4/3/2006 - raiderwes wrote: 88 Points
Hate to be the contrarian here, but this wine was very disappointing; perhaps all the hype unreasonably raised my expectations. Maybe I paid too much. Drank this one to see if the next vintage was worth purchasing. Passed on the new one. We definitely prefer Rombauer for a fraction of the price.
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3/25/2006 - Mattswines wrote: 94 Points
Very impressive! A wonderful "young" PM Chard. compared to past experiences. Full fruit still somewhat buried underneath some oak, but showing great. Acid showing a bit high compared to fruit/sugar/oak right now, but still wonderful. Drink by itself now.. for a good "food" experience (how I prefer most Chards..) give it another year, 2 if you can wait. Bravo!
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3/22/2006 - NobleRot wrote: 94 Points
Excellent chardonnay. Almost a deep gold color. Huge tropical fruits and hazelnuts on the nose. This is a monster on the palate, just screaming California. More hazelnuts on the finish, which lasts a good 30 seconds. Too bad it's my last one.
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10/2/2005 - Quequeg wrote: 94 Points
What a great Chardonnay. Honestly, Peter Michael Winery really knows what they're doing. We served right out of the cellar, so close to 55 degrees; a little flyer I got from the winery with my shipment said that Chardonnay should be served around 60 degrees, rather than at the usual hyper-chilled temperature (and there's an interesting article in this month's Food & Wine that touches on this). Donna's first comment was, "I wish this were a little bit colder", but I think that's more a function of custom than taste, and I propose to keep serving whites at a higher temperature (and reds at a lower) to see what happens. Nice nose; straw color, tiny hint of green (always a good leading indicator, in my experience); mildly cloudy on first pour (another good leading indicator). Oddly, my very first thought on tasting was "salmon"; there was something almost fishy about the first taste. That having been said, I couldn't have chosen a better wine to stand up to the power of Donna's unparalleled pesto; this wine was a wonder as a dinner accompaniment. All of the buttery notes came through and through. Just fantastic. In no time, the two of us polished off the whole bottle (and a whole pound of pasta -- if gluttony truly is a sin, then take me now). All I can do is to say thanks for how fortunate we are in this house to be able to enjoy a wine such as this, and how fortunate we all are that the wine is there to be enjoyed. Well done.
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9/18/2005 - Bunski wrote: 92 Points
It is the finish that makes this a very good wine. The butter is mixed in nicely with the green apple and touch of some tropical fruit. While buttery finish the butter is far from overwhelming, and the wine is so nicely balanced that it all comes together nicely.
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7/1/2005 - FeloniousMonk wrote: 95 Points
Drank at Colvin Run Tavern in Tysons Corner VA with
some of my old Freddie Mac cronies. We started with
a 1998 Ch. Beaucastel at the bar (thanks to Andrea Chapman).
We opened up the dinner proper with this chardonnay, accompanied by
a lobster appetizer.
Good goldish-green (almost like brown-tinged Mountain Dew(R)).
Great clove-dominated spice nose, hints of nutmeg and tropical fruits too.
Mouth was all about tropical fruits (mango, pineapple), butter, and just
the right amount of slightly toasty oak.
It's a beautiful thing, and I am glad that I still have a couple more bottles in my cellar.
P.S. Try the Colvin Run Tavern. The food, the ambience (entire facility is non-smoking),
and the wine list are all top-notch.
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6/11/2005 - keithgg wrote: 92 Points
A big, bold, thick chard. Citrus fruits; mouth filling and a long finish. An excellent chard but not to my style.
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6/1/2005 - winefool wrote:
Nice rich chardonnay, but still young and tightly wound. Opened up nicely after an hour or two. 6/05
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5/15/2005 - FeloniousMonk wrote: 94 Points
Couldn't resist opening one of these things (part of my Spring 2005 allocation).
Drank it alone (with curtains drawn, lights off, and IPod on, naturally) without
accompanying food.
Gold straw color, slight aphid-green hint too. Thick disk atop rim.
Initial taste was actually somewhat disconcerting, because it smacked
of Madeira. It quickly settled into a peach + apple + pineapple with just
a hint of toasty oak. It will probably prove to be a great food wine.
Good lingering (45 seconds plus) finish. Like Maxwell House, it was
"good to the last drop". My kinda Chardonnay.
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5/15/2005 - rosey wrote:
absolutely fabulous - not oaky - very smooth a pleasure to drink
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