Open that bottle - Dan chooses 2010 Beaucastel: This wine was definitely on the darker side for a chardonnay, looked like apple juice. The nose smelled fresh and flinty. The palate had a pleasant caramelly flavor. The end-palate is kind of harsh, and there is alcohol on the finish. This improved in glass over the 1 hour it was in front of me.
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A little disappointed in this wine, although that is likely due to my sky-high expectations! I wanted to try one of these because of their reputation and the fact that I had never had one. I was able to procure this bottle from a private collector. Based on the value and reputation, I expected this to be at the Marcassin level or better, which is my current benchmark for Chardonnay.
After I purchased the wine, I read a number of revues indicating that wine should be drunk shortly after release, and, according to multiple reviewers, was not built for long term aging. At this point, I am thinking I just wasted my money, and the wine was likely way over the hill. In fact, I brought a back up Chardonnay just in case it was un-palatable.
To that end, this bottle was a mixed surprise....on the one hand it did not live to its reputation (at least this bottle, and at this age). On the other hand, it was far from dead!
Tasting note: PnP, but consumed over a 2 hour period. Initially, the nose was honeyed, but with a hint of oxidation and some elements of petrol, both of which blew off with some time in the glass. The nose then picked up some tangerine, and white flower notes, later further evolving into some minerality, apple and a hint of smoke. The palate was full bodied with lots of honeyed stone fruit, giving way to more stone fruits and some butterscotch, and then gaining a hint of buttered popcorn.
This was certainly an interesting wine (kudos for that). While quite enjoyable, it did not rise to the level I was expecting, and I felt other, less expensive Chardonnays, could easily have provided a similar experience. I definitely do not see this wine improving, and, to the contrary, am bummed out that I feel I need to purchase a younger version to try before making definitive judgement. 93 to 93+ tonight, but hoping a younger version will gain points!
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initially the nose seemed over-ripe, but with aeration the acidity and minerality developed further. The nose was still pretty sweet like marzipan, with orange marmalade notes. Perhaps this wine has peaked.
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This was poured with minimal decanting at a local restaurant for my friend's birthday. The wine was deep gold in colour with a nose of oranges, pineapple and some caramel. In the glass were these same flavours and add some peaches and honey as well. This wine was for me a perfect middle ground of a dry and a sweet white wine and the finish was incredibly long. I haven't given a wine a perfect score in a number of year but this one merits it. Stunning!
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opened for an hour prior to serving. A little caramelised nose, showing mineral, grass, and straw notes. After 1½ hours the nose was really sweet and sugary, with a little lemon. Sweet on the palate and slightly sharp alcohol on the back end.
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opened 40 minutes prior to decanting. Nice and ripe, with sweetness, a little marzipan and cotton candy, toasty corn. Nice acidity here but soooo elegant and well-balanced. Just drinking beautifully now.
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Slight aromas of calla lilies right from the bottle. The color is a deep golden hue which is beginning to turn yellow-orange. At first I thought the wine was past its prime. After nearly 2 hours the aroma & color began to both mellow revealing a richness & depth of what once was a great Chardonnay. Significant oak is left on the palette with a syrupy rich mouth feel.
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Similar brilliance to last bottle. Deep, orange tinted color. Commanding nose of white flowers, stone fruit and subtle oak. So rich yet full of life. The finish doesn't stop. I would drink these up as the best part of their life is nearing an end - but oh what a life. A masterpiece for this style. (96)
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Advanced golden color. On opening, I thought this might be slightly oxidized. However, with some air things started to come together. Deep honeyed richness can be easily detected on the nose. There is also some melon mixed with a touch of oak spice (not at all dominant). The palate is just huge with extract. Like Chardonnay syrup. That said, it finishes well. Big for sure but not noticeably alcoholic. Quite unique but delicious. One of the best California chardonnay's I have tasted. (97)
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$175 on release feels like a lot for a California Chardonnay, and you wonder if it is worth more than twice the price of the regular $75 bottling. It is! This wine with some age on it was absolutely delicious and complex, with so many of the characteristics of a Grand Cru White Burgundy.
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this was decanted 1½ hours before dinner, and was still pretty closed as we poured it from the bottle during dinner. Eventually I asked for it to be decanted again, and the wine finally opened up. Nose of flint, honey, toasty oak, vanilla… a little more restrained and elegant compared to last night. Very well balanced. Curiously the wine has mellowed out since I was blown away by it almost 2 years ago.
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opened 1½ hours before dinner and decanted upon arrival. Still tight 2 hours after opening. Very sweet with lots of vanilla notes, toasty, pretty ripe on the palate but not over-ripe. Citrus, lemon notes along with a hint of apricot. Nose still going strong some 4 hours later. Color was a light golden hue, showing signs of age.
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This was a pop and pour wine that I thought was wonderful. When I saw the very deep yellow colour, I expected an over the top, in your face kind of white. What I got was an amazingly well balanced wine with just the right amount of alcohol in it. Tons of honey on the taste. This wine is in a great drinking space right now. Enjoy them if you have some.
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the last time I opened up a bottle of this wine was with this group two years ago. Knowing that this is a big wine, I decanted it about 90 minutes before dinner. Turns out it was the right decision. The wine had opened up well by the time we poured it into our glasses, with a huge toasty nose, lots of smoke, a little popcorn, loads and loads of vanilla, lemon, apricot, and very sweet like marshmallow and nougat. Pretty ripe and sweet on the palate. A monster of a wine that could use a few more years of aging to mellow out a little. Not for anyone who's looking for subtlety...
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Slightly honeyed yellow color. Pretty nose of ripe apple, a hint of lemon oil, nuts, and oak spice. In the mouth, viscous and full-bodied, with its ripe fruit tinged with citrus notes keeping it refreshing. Integrated acidity provides enough kick to liven up the oak and spice notes. Long finish keeps the wine lingering in memory. A-
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IWFSC Governors Lunch (Dan's): A really super rich unctuous version of California chardonnay, it still had decent balance and worked reasonbly well with food. Certainly a lot going on there with an interesting lemon curd note emerging with some time in the glass.
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Dinner at Cityzen, 82, 86, 89 and 90 first growth and LMHB (Cityzen, Washington DC): Mango, Papaya, Pineapple… tropical fruit galore, coffee, white chocolate and underneath mineral component that the fruit hides. It shows incredible concentration and complex flavor. Nevertheless too much sweet tropical fruit makes this wine slightly less appealing than the Reuling. At least a couple of people didn’t really care for the wine, can’t get over the popcorn note, but majorities loved it.
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Wow, this wine sure is thick in the mouth but it is still superbly balanced. Nectarine, grapefruit, honey and roasted nuts. There was a glass left in the bottle that I had the next evening and it had not deteriorated a bit – impressive!
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Thicker and richer than last time. Very viscous and fat but with a very clear fruit of tangerines going through from start to finish. Very long, delicious aftertaste.
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From Riedel "Wine Series" stems. The gold coloring in this wine was much more pronounced than most Chardonnays. I don't know if it was the candel light or the Fall flower arrangement on the table, but the wine almost had an orange hue. The nose was vanilla and honeysuckle, and in no way over oaked, which was a relief. Kongsgaard is not shy with the oak treatment, and I was a bit concerned that "The Judge" would be the "Napa" bottling on steroids. Not so. This was more elegant. It personifies the concept of seamlessness. A vibrant effort that is not overpowering in either the fruit or oak components. A terrific wine, but one must address the question of value. By no means would I say that this wine is worth the extra $$$ over the Napa bottling, or any Aubert, Peter Michael or Kistler costing much less. Still it was a wonderful experience to see what the folks at Kongsgaard can do when they go an extra mile beyond their already impressive efforts.
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Medium clear gold in color; Simply the Mt. Everest of chardonnays - massively structured and very good balance. It was complex with almond, creme brulee, vanilla and underlying lemon rind aromas and flavors. I agree with Tanzer that it lacked primary fruit. This one seems like one to drink on the young side as the oak presence could go either way. Serving temperature was important with this wine - initially the cold temp killed off the aromatics and it continued to improve to a point as it warmed up. [$$$; Stated alcohol 14.1%, my guess is 14.9-15%; Drinking very well now, no reason to wait]
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7/21/2021 - galewskj wrote: 91 Points
Open that bottle - Dan chooses 2010 Beaucastel: This wine was definitely on the darker side for a chardonnay, looked like apple juice. The nose smelled fresh and flinty. The palate had a pleasant caramelly flavor. The end-palate is kind of harsh, and there is alcohol on the finish. This improved in glass over the 1 hour it was in front of me.
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7/21/2021 - I'd Rather Be Drinking Wine Likes this wine: 93 Points
A little disappointed in this wine, although that is likely due to my sky-high expectations! I wanted to try one of these because of their reputation and the fact that I had never had one. I was able to procure this bottle from a private collector. Based on the value and reputation, I expected this to be at the Marcassin level or better, which is my current benchmark for Chardonnay.
After I purchased the wine, I read a number of revues indicating that wine should be drunk shortly after release, and, according to multiple reviewers, was not built for long term aging. At this point, I am thinking I just wasted my money, and the wine was likely way over the hill. In fact, I brought a back up Chardonnay just in case it was un-palatable.
To that end, this bottle was a mixed surprise....on the one hand it did not live to its reputation (at least this bottle, and at this age). On the other hand, it was far from dead!
Tasting note: PnP, but consumed over a 2 hour period. Initially, the nose was honeyed, but with a hint of oxidation and some elements of petrol, both of which blew off with some time in the glass. The nose then picked up some tangerine, and white flower notes, later further evolving into some minerality, apple and a hint of smoke. The palate was full bodied with lots of honeyed stone fruit, giving way to more stone fruits and some butterscotch, and then gaining a hint of buttered popcorn.
This was certainly an interesting wine (kudos for that). While quite enjoyable, it did not rise to the level I was expecting, and I felt other, less expensive Chardonnays, could easily have provided a similar experience. I definitely do not see this wine improving, and, to the contrary, am bummed out that I feel I need to purchase a younger version to try before making definitive judgement. 93 to 93+ tonight, but hoping a younger version will gain points!
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12/28/2017 - Peech wrote: 91 Points
initially the nose seemed over-ripe, but with aeration the acidity and minerality developed further. The nose was still pretty sweet like marzipan, with orange marmalade notes. Perhaps this wine has peaked.
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6/24/2017 - Rosengoo Likes this wine: 100 Points
This was poured with minimal decanting at a local restaurant for my friend's birthday. The wine was deep gold in colour with a nose of oranges, pineapple and some caramel. In the glass were these same flavours and add some peaches and honey as well. This wine was for me a perfect middle ground of a dry and a sweet white wine and the finish was incredibly long. I haven't given a wine a perfect score in a number of year but this one merits it. Stunning!
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3/4/2017 - Peech Likes this wine: 93 Points
opened for an hour prior to serving. A little caramelised nose, showing mineral, grass, and straw notes. After 1½ hours the nose was really sweet and sugary, with a little lemon. Sweet on the palate and slightly sharp alcohol on the back end.
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9/19/2016 - Peech Likes this wine: 96 Points
opened 40 minutes prior to decanting. Nice and ripe, with sweetness, a little marzipan and cotton candy, toasty corn. Nice acidity here but soooo elegant and well-balanced. Just drinking beautifully now.
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12/18/2015 - tomoem Likes this wine: 94 Points
Slight aromas of calla lilies right from the bottle. The color is a deep golden hue which is beginning to turn yellow-orange. At first I thought the wine was past its prime. After nearly 2 hours the aroma & color began to both mellow revealing a richness & depth of what once was a great Chardonnay. Significant oak is left on the palette with a syrupy rich mouth feel.
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12/1/2014 - dbkitc wrote: 96 Points
Similar brilliance to last bottle. Deep, orange tinted color. Commanding nose of white flowers, stone fruit and subtle oak. So rich yet full of life. The finish doesn't stop. I would drink these up as the best part of their life is nearing an end - but oh what a life. A masterpiece for this style. (96)
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7/7/2014 - dbkitc wrote: 97 Points
Advanced golden color. On opening, I thought this might be slightly oxidized. However, with some air things started to come together. Deep honeyed richness can be easily detected on the nose. There is also some melon mixed with a touch of oak spice (not at all dominant). The palate is just huge with extract. Like Chardonnay syrup. That said, it finishes well. Big for sure but not noticeably alcoholic. Quite unique but delicious. One of the best California chardonnay's I have tasted. (97)
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6/26/2014 - Herb K wrote:
done... matterized.... a shame.. LOVE this wine.
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8/3/2013 - Herb K wrote:
$175 on release feels like a lot for a California Chardonnay, and you wonder if it is worth more than twice the price of the regular $75 bottling. It is! This wine with some age on it was absolutely delicious and complex, with so many of the characteristics of a Grand Cru White Burgundy.
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1/19/2013 - Peech Likes this wine: 94 Points
this was decanted 1½ hours before dinner, and was still pretty closed as we poured it from the bottle during dinner. Eventually I asked for it to be decanted again, and the wine finally opened up. Nose of flint, honey, toasty oak, vanilla… a little more restrained and elegant compared to last night. Very well balanced. Curiously the wine has mellowed out since I was blown away by it almost 2 years ago.
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1/18/2013 - Peech Likes this wine: 94 Points
opened 1½ hours before dinner and decanted upon arrival. Still tight 2 hours after opening. Very sweet with lots of vanilla notes, toasty, pretty ripe on the palate but not over-ripe. Citrus, lemon notes along with a hint of apricot. Nose still going strong some 4 hours later. Color was a light golden hue, showing signs of age.
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6/12/2012 - Rosengoo Likes this wine: 97 Points
This was a pop and pour wine that I thought was wonderful. When I saw the very deep yellow colour, I expected an over the top, in your face kind of white. What I got was an amazingly well balanced wine with just the right amount of alcohol in it. Tons of honey on the taste.
This wine is in a great drinking space right now. Enjoy them if you have some.
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6/3/2011 - madeiradog wrote: 90 Points
Great purity of fruit but comes off slightly flabby on the finish. Based on my experience I would drink the Judge sooner than the regular chard.
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4/28/2011 - Peech Likes this wine: 97 Points
the last time I opened up a bottle of this wine was with this group two years ago. Knowing that this is a big wine, I decanted it about 90 minutes before dinner. Turns out it was the right decision. The wine had opened up well by the time we poured it into our glasses, with a huge toasty nose, lots of smoke, a little popcorn, loads and loads of vanilla, lemon, apricot, and very sweet like marshmallow and nougat. Pretty ripe and sweet on the palate. A monster of a wine that could use a few more years of aging to mellow out a little. Not for anyone who's looking for subtlety...
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12/4/2010 - gutt22 wrote:
Slightly honeyed yellow color. Pretty nose of ripe apple, a hint of lemon oil, nuts, and oak spice. In the mouth, viscous and full-bodied, with its ripe fruit tinged with citrus notes keeping it refreshing. Integrated acidity provides enough kick to liven up the oak and spice notes. Long finish keeps the wine lingering in memory. A-
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1/20/2010 - winefool wrote: 94 Points
IWFSC Governors Lunch (Dan's): A really super rich unctuous version of California chardonnay, it still had decent balance and worked reasonbly well with food. Certainly a lot going on there with an interesting lemon curd note emerging with some time in the glass.
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12/27/2008 - dcwino wrote: 94 Points
Dinner at Cityzen, 82, 86, 89 and 90 first growth and LMHB (Cityzen, Washington DC): Mango, Papaya, Pineapple… tropical fruit galore, coffee, white chocolate and underneath mineral component that the fruit hides. It shows incredible concentration and complex flavor. Nevertheless too much sweet tropical fruit makes this wine slightly less appealing than the Reuling. At least a couple of people didn’t really care for the wine, can’t get over the popcorn note, but majorities loved it.
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10/3/2008 - ShannonGroomes wrote: 95 Points
had this with our friends Nina and Shawn with Crabcakes and roasted corn, very rich balanced wine.
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8/28/2008 - phenricsson wrote: 98 Points
Wow, this wine sure is thick in the mouth but it is still superbly balanced. Nectarine, grapefruit, honey and roasted nuts. There was a glass left in the bottle that I had the next evening and it had not deteriorated a bit – impressive!
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4/19/2007 - Melli wrote: 96 Points
I thought wine was sublime but tasting group gave very pedestrian 91 points with speculation it was Rhone varietal. Couple of guesses in SQN family.
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12/11/2006 - phenricsson wrote: 98 Points
Thicker and richer than last time. Very viscous and fat but with a very clear fruit of tangerines going through from start to finish. Very long, delicious aftertaste.
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12/6/2006 - mattiasjansson wrote: 92 Points
Backstreet - Best of Cellar (Backstreet Wine Salon, Phoenix): Oaky nose. Smoth, oily palate. Long finish.
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12/6/2006 - kstoddard wrote: 89 Points
Phoenix eRP Offline - Best of Cellar (Backstreet Wine Salon, Phoenix): Straw yellow in color. Oaky with amonia on the nose. Very rich but a butter bomb. A little flabby. Needs more acidity. Brought by Linda.
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11/15/2006 - JimmyV wrote: 96 Points
From Riedel "Wine Series" stems.
The gold coloring in this wine was much more pronounced than most Chardonnays. I don't know if it was the candel light or the Fall flower arrangement on the table, but the wine almost had an orange hue.
The nose was vanilla and honeysuckle, and in no way over oaked, which was a relief. Kongsgaard is not shy with the oak treatment, and I was a bit concerned that "The Judge" would be the "Napa" bottling on steroids. Not so. This was more elegant. It personifies the concept of seamlessness. A vibrant effort that is not overpowering in either the fruit or oak components. A terrific wine, but one must address the question of value. By no means would I say that this wine is worth the extra $$$ over the Napa bottling, or any Aubert, Peter Michael or Kistler costing much less. Still it was a wonderful experience to see what the folks at Kongsgaard can do when they go an extra mile beyond their already impressive efforts.
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11/11/2006 - Winetex wrote: 95 Points
Medium clear gold in color; Simply the Mt. Everest of chardonnays - massively structured and very good balance. It was complex with almond, creme brulee, vanilla and underlying lemon rind aromas and flavors. I agree with Tanzer that it lacked primary fruit. This one seems like one to drink on the young side as the oak presence could go either way. Serving temperature was important with this wine - initially the cold temp killed off the aromatics and it continued to improve to a point as it warmed up. [$$$; Stated alcohol 14.1%, my guess is 14.9-15%; Drinking very well now, no reason to wait]
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5/5/2006 - DelYap wrote: 96 Points
The regular chardonnay amplified!
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12/15/2005 - Blair Curtis wrote: 91 Points
2001 Cults (Plus some extras) from Delyap & Tommy 'O (Vancouver): This wine is quite good. Clear, rich and oaky. A nice buttery nose. Some creme brulee. Solid.
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