Still drinking beautifully. Tropical fruits, apple, and pear, along with nutty, savory notes and subtle acidity. Overall, very complex and well balanced.
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Excellent Chardonnay, with lush, layered flavors of white tropical fruits, spice, butterscotch and caramel. Lovely aromas of pineapple and butterscotch. Nice balancing acidity due to cool vineyard climate. Lingering finish for a chardonnay. Complex, interesting and still drinking extremely well for a 7 year old chard.
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This bottle was not as good as the one we had a year ago. It seemed somewhat thinned out, and although the elements we found previously were present, it just seemed to be less so in all regards. It is still obviously a very well made wine to be sure, but somehow not as seamless and substantial as before. Don't know if it is going downhill or closed... and a score of 89 still means that we found it to be excellent.
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Sadly my last bottle of th 02' and it was the best one yet. A very creamy texture with generous amounts of tropical fruit and a lengthy finish. I can only hope that the 03' and 04' are anything close to the 02'
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I am not a huge Chard fan, but this one really stood out as one of the best I have had. Unbelievable balance and complexity that I did not know a Chard could have! Light straw color, nose of butter, pear and spice. Despite 14.6% alcohol, not at all hot. Despite the strong butterscoth flavor, not overly oaked. Good acidity. Just simply a wow of fruit, butterscotch and a light spice. This is a must have.
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Don't know if its the age or the vintage, but this doesn't do for me what the 2003 did. Good, a little too oaky, certainly buttery, carmellly, sort of spicy and peppery in the middle and end. Thick and golden. Nice mild sourness to the finish. Wish it weren't so oaky.
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Drank @ Bouley @ Bala's birthday party, this wine was wonderful. Lovely butterscotch notes, carmel and orange fruit, w/ no harsh oak on the finish. If only more California producers made this!
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Here is another wonderful California chardonnay. The restaurant was dark so I can't comment on color. Nose of lemon, pineapple, vanilla and a hint of hazelnuts. The wine is medium-bodied, and tastes of tropical fruit with a buttery quality and some underlying minerality with enough acidity to carry it through dinner. Outstanding!
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I agree with others to allow this to warm up a bit to show its' generous tropical fruit and orange zest qualities. Got better as it sat in the glass for a while and continues to open up. I wish I had bought much more of this than I did.
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This wine is enough to make me start drinking chardonnay more often. Fairly complex nose that evolved over the time of consumption. It was considerably more expressive as it warmed up a little. The aspect of this wine that really wowed me was the finish (30-45 seconds). I hadn't had such a full-bodied white with such a long finish before. Very, very enjoyable.
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Okay, this time we served a bit warmer (straight from the cellar; no chilling!), and everything the other tasters reported remained just as true. Once again, the dish was Donna's pesto; she described this as "sweet" on first taste, but I think we both thought that the real joy was in the butterscotch note (a good counterpoint to the garlic/basil/mintiness of the pesto). It's now more than an hour later, and this has settled down into a beautiful, complex, aromatic cocktail. I drove six hours to pick this wine up; all I can say is that I wish I had bought more. Outstanding; a family favorite.
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Light to medium golden color and clear. Heady nose of lemon tart, burnt sugar and a hint of lime. On the palate, pure flavors of lemon juice, key lime, pie crust and caramel. Nice acidity provides focus and a zesty mouthfeel. Not exceptional, but a strong bargain at the price that ought to gain richness and complexity with further age. Buy more...
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Really good. Very clean and minerally. This was killed pretty quick at dinner tonight. Drinks well now but should age just fine for maybe 5 years. Glad I have 5 more left.
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My goodness, how lovely. Donna and I enjoyed this with fresh pesto. We served it a bit on the cold side (unintentionally; we really wanted to follow the guidance of the other tasters, to let it warm a bit, but we just couldn't wait once we opened it up); even cold, the nose was pure butter, and beautifully so. While cold, the taste was light and fresh; the taster who suggested butterscotch and cold stone was right on the mark, although there was nothing cloying about this. As it warmed, the buttery notes muted and the minerality grew; this just kept getting better and better. What a find!
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I bought this wine on recommendation & I'm glad I did. I love the warm buttery butterscotch framed in cold stone. This is a smooth, long-gliding, complicated taste experience. Don't drink it cold because you'll miss the full event. May be too big & confusing for some chard lovers. Don't know the alcohol level, but it seems humane. An easy 93 points.
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5/5/2013 - stevenjstein Likes this wine: 93 Points
Still drinking beautifully. Tropical fruits, apple, and pear, along with nutty, savory notes and subtle acidity. Overall, very complex and well balanced.
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11/19/2011 - Bob & Sue Atlanta wrote: 90 Points
Drink up this is fading fast!
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2/17/2009 - GolferChris wrote: 94 Points
Excellent Chardonnay, with lush, layered flavors of white tropical fruits, spice, butterscotch and caramel. Lovely aromas of pineapple and butterscotch. Nice balancing acidity due to cool vineyard climate. Lingering finish for a chardonnay. Complex, interesting and still drinking extremely well for a 7 year old chard.
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2/8/2007 - TheOtherPoster wrote: 89 Points
This bottle was not as good as the one we had a year ago. It seemed somewhat thinned out, and although the elements we found previously were present, it just seemed to be less so in all regards. It is still obviously a very well made wine to be sure, but somehow not as seamless and substantial as before. Don't know if it is going downhill or closed... and a score of 89 still means that we found it to be excellent.
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12/17/2006 - Bob & Sue Atlanta wrote: 89 Points
I give this a rock solid 89 points. Nothing special. I don't get the Parker 94 rating.
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8/6/2006 - g-man wrote: 94 Points
Sadly my last bottle of th 02' and it was the best one yet. A very creamy texture with generous amounts of tropical fruit and a lengthy finish. I can only hope that the 03' and 04' are anything close to the 02'
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6/10/2006 - cadamson wrote: 97 Points
I am not a huge Chard fan, but this one really stood out as one of the best I have had. Unbelievable balance and complexity that I did not know a Chard could have! Light straw color, nose of butter, pear and spice. Despite 14.6% alcohol, not at all hot. Despite the strong butterscoth flavor, not overly oaked. Good acidity. Just simply a wow of fruit, butterscotch and a light spice. This is a must have.
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5/28/2006 - g-man wrote: 93 Points
Great as usual
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2/14/2006 - cab wrote:
Don't know if its the age or the vintage, but this doesn't do for me what the 2003 did. Good, a little too oaky, certainly buttery, carmellly, sort of spicy and peppery in the middle and end. Thick and golden. Nice mild sourness to the finish. Wish it weren't so oaky.
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1/18/2006 - TashNYC wrote: 92 Points
Drank @ Bouley @ Bala's birthday party, this wine was wonderful. Lovely butterscotch notes, carmel and orange fruit, w/ no harsh oak on the finish. If only more California producers made this!
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1/18/2006 - cck wrote: 92 Points
At its peak now. Unfortunately this was my last bottle. On to the 2003 vintage.
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1/16/2006 - TheOtherPoster wrote: 92 Points
Here is another wonderful California chardonnay. The restaurant was dark so I can't comment on color. Nose of lemon, pineapple, vanilla and a hint of hazelnuts. The wine is medium-bodied, and tastes of tropical fruit with a buttery quality and some underlying minerality with enough acidity to carry it through dinner. Outstanding!
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12/18/2005 - g-man wrote: 93 Points
I agree with others to allow this to warm up a bit to show its' generous tropical fruit and orange zest qualities. Got better as it sat in the glass for a while and continues to open up. I wish I had bought much more of this than I did.
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10/22/2005 - pkwoods wrote: 92 Points
This wine is enough to make me start drinking chardonnay more often. Fairly complex nose that evolved over the time of consumption. It was considerably more expressive as it warmed up a little. The aspect of this wine that really wowed me was the finish (30-45 seconds). I hadn't had such a full-bodied white with such a long finish before. Very, very enjoyable.
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10/13/2005 - Quequeg wrote: 93 Points
Okay, this time we served a bit warmer (straight from the cellar; no chilling!), and everything the other tasters reported remained just as true. Once again, the dish was Donna's pesto; she described this as "sweet" on first taste, but I think we both thought that the real joy was in the butterscotch note (a good counterpoint to the garlic/basil/mintiness of the pesto). It's now more than an hour later, and this has settled down into a beautiful, complex, aromatic cocktail. I drove six hours to pick this wine up; all I can say is that I wish I had bought more. Outstanding; a family favorite.
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7/13/2005 - KevinS wrote: 92 Points
Light to medium golden color and clear. Heady nose of lemon tart, burnt sugar and a hint of lime. On the palate, pure flavors of lemon juice, key lime, pie crust and caramel. Nice acidity provides focus and a zesty mouthfeel. Not exceptional, but a strong bargain at the price that ought to gain richness and complexity with further age. Buy more...
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7/9/2005 - syrahlvr wrote: 93 Points
Really good. Very clean and minerally. This was killed pretty quick at dinner tonight. Drinks well now but should age just fine for maybe 5 years. Glad I have 5 more left.
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7/6/2005 - Quequeg wrote: 92 Points
My goodness, how lovely. Donna and I enjoyed this with fresh pesto. We served it a bit on the cold side (unintentionally; we really wanted to follow the guidance of the other tasters, to let it warm a bit, but we just couldn't wait once we opened it up); even cold, the nose was pure butter, and beautifully so. While cold, the taste was light and fresh; the taster who suggested butterscotch and cold stone was right on the mark, although there was nothing cloying about this. As it warmed, the buttery notes muted and the minerality grew; this just kept getting better and better. What a find!
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5/18/2005 - memlouise wrote:
I bought this wine on recommendation & I'm glad I did. I love the warm buttery butterscotch framed in cold stone. This is a smooth, long-gliding, complicated taste experience. Don't drink it cold because you'll miss the full event. May be too big & confusing for some chard lovers. Don't know the alcohol level, but it seems humane. An easy 93 points.
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4/17/2005 - fine137 wrote: 93 Points
Excellent. Even better the second day. Don't serve right out of the refrigerator, needs to warm up a bit to strut its stuff.
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