A stunning, stunning wine. I took a punt with the age - now 11 years, and it was absolutely the right decision. This is an *outstanding* Russian River Chardonnay. Exquisitely poised fragrance of apricots, peaches, melon, fresh cream, honeysuckle. Sublimely delicate. Wonderful density - weighty but not voluptuous, fresh but not sharp. Deliciously lip-smacking length. This is a wine of considerable seriousness and dazzling elegance. Age has made it better - more complex, more exciting, more memorable. It still has the residual sugar, acidity and body to continue evolving pleasurably for another decade. A stunning, delicious wine.
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Anniversary Dinner with Friends (Anvil Club, East Dundee): Light in color and lacking the over-the-top oak I've found in a few older Hansels. Apple and citrus with mere hints of butterscotch. Apple and caramelized fig flavors lingering in the finish. Excellent, in a richer style.
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Second notes on this wine from about 2 years prior. Medium-light golden yellow in color. Forward, attractive & fragrant nose of complex, ripe fruit aromas of apples, pears & citrus notes of lemons/limes with overtones of floral notes of honeysuckle & minerals/stony, some butterscotch notes, spices & some toasty oak in the background. Medium-full bodied with a good concentration of balanced & smooth texture, complex, ripe flavors of apples, pears & lemons/limes with some butterscotch, honey, spices, stony, minerals, toasty oak & a slight touch of vanilla. Lingering finish. Drinks quite well at present & may be close to or at the peak of its development. I doubt it would develop any further, so drink up!
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Fruit is mellowing -- still pear, apple, and citrus. I do drink a little cooler in the summer, 45-50 versus 55 degrees -- which mellows fruit. Lots of mineral notes. Oak mellow. Obsolutely excellent structure. Still extremely creamy in mouth and very smooth finish.
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4th Saturday group "uptown" tasting (Our house): Very different than wine #1, this comes off as clumsy and much too oaky. Woody herbal oil notes to go along with lemon, butter and sautéed apple. Flavors of quince, butter, oak and coconut. Heavy. I expected this to be much better, though this will certainly have its fans.
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PEARS, PEACHES, TROPICAL FRUITS, CITRUS, AND HONEY IN THE NOSE AND FLAVOR ALONG WITH HINTS OF VANILLA AND CEDAR. NICE ACIDITY AND COMPLEXITY AND A LONG FINISH.
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Medium-light golden yellow in color. Forward, attractive and complex nose of ripe fruit aromas of apples, pears & citrus notes of lemons/limes with floral notes of honeysuckle, stony, some butterscotch notes, spices, minerals with toasty oak a bit of tasty oak in the background. Medium-full bodied with a good concentration of smooth texture, balanced, complex, ripe flavors of apples, pears & lemons/limes with some butterscotch, honey, spices, stony, minerals, toasty oak and a slight touch of vanilla. Long lingering crisp finish. Drinks quite well at present and may be at the peak of its development although it does have the structure to hold onto this current plateau for another year or two at most but I doubt it would develop any further.
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Vanilla and butterscotch on the nose. This is a heavy wine dominated by oak. Perhaps I waited too long to drink this one, but it certainly at a stage in its lifecycle where it is lacking acidity.
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Fresh, expressive fruit with some acidity. Felt a little creamy/heavy, less verve compared to later vintages, leading me to believe that these do not age as remarkably as the other SVDs from Hansel. Still quite nice.
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Looking more golden than yellow. Like last time, I waited a while for the wine to warm a little from the 55 degree cellar temperature. The wine has not changed much from my last evaluation: "complex aromas and flavors of poached pear, baked apple, lemon, creme brulee, minerals and French oak. Creamy and buttery in the mouth. Nice structure and balance. An extended finish that lingered." Good pairing with Atlantic salmon this time.
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Wines at Chris and Renee's home. (Chris and Renee's): Not sure how long this had been opened. Creamy vanilla on the nose. Creamy texture which I liked, but still seemed like a lot of oak. Bitter on the finish which intensified in the glass. Its fine, but not great.
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Holding up well with a well balanced nose of honeydew and apricot followed by a light citrus character. Overall one of the most crowd-pleasing CA chardonnays around. Can last another 3-5 years easily although not likely to improve.
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Wow! This has developed beautifully. Well balanced and much improved over my last bottle two years ago (89 rating). A wonderful blend of pear, apricot, and butterscotch-like notes, and a superb, lingering finish. Great acidity and subtle minerality. To be honest, I was expecting the California fruit and oak bomb I experienced last time, but this has developed into one of the best Chards I have in a long time! I'll wait at least another year before popping my last bottle...
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Better to wait a little while to get closer to room temperature, after removing this wine from a 55 degree cellar, and then evaluate. Then, the aromas ignite. I got fairly complex aromas and flavors of poached pear, baked apple, lemon, creme brulee, minerals and French oak. Creamy and buttery in the mouth. Nice structure and balance. An extended finish that lingered. A very nice pairing with fresh halibut, right off the plane.
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Last consumed 19 months ago. A strawish deep golden color; looks like it's unfiltered and unfined. Complex aromas and flavors of lemon, poached pear, baked apple, creme brulee, minerals and French oak. The same creamy, rich and buttery texture as last time; seems richer with a little more fruit depth. Great acid and balance. A smoothish finish of about 20+ seconds. I really like this wine.
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Apricot nose. Straw and wheat color, with golden hues. Full bodied, creamy consistency but clean and palate cleaning, refreshing acid, lemon, orange, green and yellow apple, white peaches, stone flavors; a real cornucopia of experience when it warms up. Medium to long finish.
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Butterscotch, honey and caramel on the nose. Candied apricots and pineapple on the palate with a healthy dose of oak. Big wine but well balanced. Nice wine.
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Straw color with a golden tint. Toasty French oak is prominent on the nose when first opened; then it settles down and integrates nicely with the fruit. Other aromas of poached pear, baked apple, lemon, minerals. Creamy, rich and buttery texture in the mouth. Smooth finish of 15+ seconds. Very nice wine - should have bought more on release. Will look for some more.
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Liked it much better on day 3, when I got lemons on the nose and was impressed by the interesting tension on the mid-palate where the richness/butteryness competed against the traditional acidity followed by a refreshing finish with length. It is an impressive, well-made wine.
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Popped and poured, served in Riedel Vinum Bordeaux stems at 49 F. Clear lemon yellow color of medium intensity, Nose of Pear, citrus, vanilla oak and chalky minerals. Palate was medium bodied and buttery with medium acid. I found this Chardonnay more typically California than expected. Very enjoyable wine.
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SO2 on the nose, with some toast, vanilla and tart tree fruit. In the mouth, it had a bite and the finish was hot. Again, with the Sulfur on the nose, I'm hoping this needs some time to get better. At this point, bad value at $35.
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7/31/2019 - ricard Likes this wine: 95 Points
A stunning, stunning wine. I took a punt with the age - now 11 years, and it was absolutely the right decision. This is an *outstanding* Russian River Chardonnay. Exquisitely poised fragrance of apricots, peaches, melon, fresh cream, honeysuckle. Sublimely delicate. Wonderful density - weighty but not voluptuous, fresh but not sharp. Deliciously lip-smacking length. This is a wine of considerable seriousness and dazzling elegance. Age has made it better - more complex, more exciting, more memorable. It still has the residual sugar, acidity and body to continue evolving pleasurably for another decade. A stunning, delicious wine.
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11/22/2017 - PJohnsn wrote: 91 Points
Pleasant minerally nose, very smooth palate and finish with lingering lemon notes
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4/26/2017 - AllRed wrote: 92 Points
Anniversary Dinner with Friends (Anvil Club, East Dundee): Light in color and lacking the over-the-top oak I've found in a few older Hansels. Apple and citrus with mere hints of butterscotch. Apple and caramelized fig flavors lingering in the finish. Excellent, in a richer style.
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10/20/2016 - Vinnut Likes this wine: 91 Points
Second notes on this wine from about 2 years prior. Medium-light golden yellow in color. Forward, attractive & fragrant nose of complex, ripe fruit aromas of apples, pears & citrus notes of lemons/limes with overtones of floral notes of honeysuckle & minerals/stony, some butterscotch notes, spices & some toasty oak in the background. Medium-full bodied with a good concentration of balanced & smooth texture, complex, ripe flavors of apples, pears & lemons/limes with some butterscotch, honey, spices, stony, minerals, toasty oak & a slight touch of vanilla. Lingering finish. Drinks quite well at present & may be close to or at the peak of its development. I doubt it would develop any further, so drink up!
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6/25/2016 - Farnelicous Likes this wine: 92 Points
Fruit is mellowing -- still pear, apple, and citrus. I do drink a little cooler in the summer, 45-50 versus 55 degrees -- which mellows fruit.
Lots of mineral notes. Oak mellow. Obsolutely excellent structure. Still extremely creamy in mouth and very smooth finish.
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4/29/2016 - LARich wrote: 91 Points
On its last legs but still wonderful....
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10/25/2015 - brian przyzycki wrote: 90 Points
On its downward slope. No pun intended.
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9/3/2015 - AllRed wrote: 87 Points
Notes of sautéed apple and butterscotch. Rich and heavy, the oak dominates. Toast, banana and nuts.
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4/25/2015 - AllRed wrote: 87 Points
4th Saturday group "uptown" tasting (Our house): Very different than wine #1, this comes off as clumsy and much too oaky. Woody herbal oil notes to go along with lemon, butter and sautéed apple. Flavors of quince, butter, oak and coconut. Heavy. I expected this to be much better, though this will certainly have its fans.
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1/2/2015 - williamswhine wrote:
Part of sundry wine offering-- never got opportunity to taste
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10/4/2014 - LARich wrote: 91 Points
Drinking beautifully now
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8/16/2014 - buckeye76 wrote: 94 Points
PEARS, PEACHES, TROPICAL FRUITS, CITRUS, AND HONEY IN THE NOSE AND FLAVOR ALONG WITH HINTS OF VANILLA AND CEDAR. NICE ACIDITY AND COMPLEXITY AND A LONG FINISH.
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8/14/2014 - Vinnut Likes this wine: 90 Points
Medium-light golden yellow in color. Forward, attractive and complex nose of ripe fruit aromas of apples, pears & citrus notes of lemons/limes with floral notes of honeysuckle, stony, some butterscotch notes, spices, minerals with toasty oak a bit of tasty oak in the background. Medium-full bodied with a good concentration of smooth texture, balanced, complex, ripe flavors of apples, pears & lemons/limes with some butterscotch, honey, spices, stony, minerals, toasty oak and a slight touch of vanilla. Long lingering crisp finish. Drinks quite well at present and may be at the peak of its development although it does have the structure to hold onto this current plateau for another year or two at most but I doubt it would develop any further.
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7/3/2014 - cookie7 wrote:
Vanilla and butterscotch on the nose. This is a heavy wine dominated by oak. Perhaps I waited too long to drink this one, but it certainly at a stage in its lifecycle where it is lacking acidity.
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4/28/2014 - thomaskeil wrote: 90 Points
Fresh, expressive fruit with some acidity. Felt a little creamy/heavy, less verve compared to later vintages, leading me to believe that these do not age as remarkably as the other SVDs from Hansel. Still quite nice.
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12/22/2013 - Chainthroer wrote: 93 Points
Basically the same as my posted notes on 10/30/2013 and 4/13/2013. An excellent chardonnay. This time it paired nicely with Dover Sole.
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10/30/2013 - Chainthroer wrote: 93 Points
Looking more golden than yellow. Like last time, I waited a while for the wine to warm a little from the 55 degree cellar temperature. The wine has not changed much from my last evaluation: "complex aromas and flavors of poached pear, baked apple, lemon, creme brulee, minerals and French oak. Creamy and buttery in the mouth. Nice structure and balance. An extended finish that lingered." Good pairing with Atlantic salmon this time.
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10/27/2013 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 88 Points
Wines at Chris and Renee's home. (Chris and Renee's): Not sure how long this had been opened. Creamy vanilla on the nose. Creamy texture which I liked, but still seemed like a lot of oak. Bitter on the finish which intensified in the glass. Its fine, but not great.
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10/4/2013 - LARich wrote: 88 Points
Seems a bit off. Maybe bad bottle
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9/14/2013 - cos82 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Nice wine. Enjoyed by all. Butter and tropical fruits on nose and palate.
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9/5/2013 - affordableCollector wrote: 88 Points
light yellow in color. spicy, citrus, floral, on the nose. floral, citrus, toast, orange, spice, mineral, on the palate.
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6/17/2013 - LARich wrote: 90 Points
Holding up well with a well balanced nose of honeydew and apricot followed by a light citrus character. Overall one of the most crowd-pleasing CA chardonnays around. Can last another 3-5 years easily although not likely to improve.
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6/8/2013 - shelt wrote: 94 Points
Wow! This has developed beautifully. Well balanced and much improved over my last bottle two years ago (89 rating). A wonderful blend of pear, apricot, and butterscotch-like notes, and a superb, lingering finish. Great acidity and subtle minerality. To be honest, I was expecting the California fruit and oak bomb I experienced last time, but this has developed into one of the best Chards I have in a long time! I'll wait at least another year before popping my last bottle...
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4/13/2013 - Chainthroer wrote: 93 Points
Better to wait a little while to get closer to room temperature, after removing this wine from a 55 degree cellar, and then evaluate. Then, the aromas ignite. I got fairly complex aromas and flavors of poached pear, baked apple, lemon, creme brulee, minerals and French oak. Creamy and buttery in the mouth. Nice structure and balance. An extended finish that lingered. A very nice pairing with fresh halibut, right off the plane.
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2/6/2013 - Chainthroer wrote: 94 Points
Last consumed 19 months ago. A strawish deep golden color; looks like it's unfiltered and unfined. Complex aromas and flavors of lemon, poached pear, baked apple, creme brulee, minerals and French oak. The same creamy, rich and buttery texture as last time; seems richer with a little more fruit depth. Great acid and balance. A smoothish finish of about 20+ seconds. I really like this wine.
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12/22/2012 - Leejgreen wrote: 92 Points
Elegant. Very nice wine.
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1/30/2012 - Dvogt wrote: 93 Points
Similar to my tasting on 12/10/2011 but with less expressive fruit, stone flavors and acid.
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12/10/2011 - Dvogt wrote: 95 Points
Apricot nose. Straw and wheat color, with golden hues. Full bodied, creamy consistency but clean and palate cleaning, refreshing acid, lemon, orange, green and yellow apple, white peaches, stone flavors; a real cornucopia of experience when it warms up. Medium to long finish.
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11/2/2011 - markellen.foodies@gmail.com wrote: 91 Points
Brown Bag Wine Dinner at Two Chefs - Double Blind; 11/1/2011-11/2/2011: - Light gold color with medium forming legs. It's balanced with a full body. Polished texture with a long finish - Barry's wine. IDed Cali Chard, but not the vintage.
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10/12/2011 - cookie7 wrote: 91 Points
Butterscotch, honey and caramel on the nose. Candied apricots and pineapple on the palate with a healthy dose of oak. Big wine but well balanced. Nice wine.
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8/27/2011 - johnbhamrick wrote: 91 Points
Creamy citrus state with strong hints of oak. Nice finish after 1 hour. Would buy more
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7/23/2011 - Amerique wrote: 93 Points
Minerality more noted with creamy citrus fruit. Excellent QPR.
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7/8/2011 - Chainthroer wrote: 93 Points
Straw color with a golden tint. Toasty French oak is prominent on the nose when first opened; then it settles down and integrates nicely with the fruit. Other aromas of poached pear, baked apple, lemon, minerals. Creamy, rich and buttery texture in the mouth. Smooth finish of 15+ seconds. Very nice wine - should have bought more on release. Will look for some more.
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5/20/2011 - Pointchaser wrote: 92 Points
Liked it much better on day 3, when I got lemons on the nose and was impressed by the interesting tension on the mid-palate where the richness/butteryness competed against the traditional acidity followed by a refreshing finish with length. It is an impressive, well-made wine.
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5/8/2011 - williamswhine wrote: 93 Points
Thoroughly enjoyed this chardonnay. Well balanced, vanilla, creamy citrus taste. Need to get more of this wine; exceptional!
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4/16/2011 - Amerique wrote: 93 Points
Medium-bodied, creamy citrus fruit, excellent structure and finish
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4/16/2011 - Leejgreen wrote: 90 Points
Very enjoyable bottle. Well balanced. Minerals up front. Not too much oak, which is nice. Was expecting more for the price.
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3/21/2011 - dransford wrote:
Great Chard. Apple, pear flavors. Toasted oak but not overdone. Lingering finish, good minerality. Lovely bottle.
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2/24/2011 - paulrc56 wrote: 90 Points
very good, no heavy oak
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12/23/2010 - profiler54 wrote: 90 Points
Popped and poured, served in Riedel Vinum Bordeaux stems at 49 F. Clear lemon yellow color of medium intensity, Nose of Pear, citrus, vanilla oak and chalky minerals. Palate was medium bodied and buttery with medium acid. I found this Chardonnay more typically California than expected. Very enjoyable wine.
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7/25/2010 - rpenn77 wrote: 93 Points
Elegant minerally European style Chardonnay. Loved it!
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7/18/2010 - Berno wrote: 85 Points
SO2 on the nose, with some toast, vanilla and tart tree fruit. In the mouth, it had a bite and the finish was hot. Again, with the Sulfur on the nose, I'm hoping this needs some time to get better. At this point, bad value at $35.
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