Bright, golden appearance. Ripe nose of pineapple, lemon custard, vanilla, and touches of banana and graham cracker yeast. No one flavor particularly stands out, but the palate is crisp and juicy, with lively middle acidity, a tug of minerals on the medium finish, and a harmless hint of heat on the aftertaste. Definitely a food wine.
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Yet another different style to Chardonnay...this on sale @mlcc in Winnipeg. Figured I'd give a try as producer has good rep. This is a solid wine, likely worth the $19. Not quite my style as very rich and fulll bodied, verging off dry for me. Nose is not as descript as others have described, but light grapefruit and pear. Mouthfeel is kind of like apple juice. Light acid, some notes that are on nose come through on palate. A tad bitter nutty'ness is there also on medium finish. Not something I would come back to....saying that the latest ceramic bottle offering is intriguing.
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Aroma is grapefruit, with a bit of raspberry and butter. Flavor- dry and pretty bold even though it's un-oaked. More white grapefruit, some pineapple, alcohol. Long finish. Better with food. Roast chicken, ham,collard greens.
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This is really good. Stripped down but still voluptuous. A little unrefined but delicious. Pear, sea shells, wet linen. Has a slight spearmint-like high note which adds a dichotomy. For the price one of the best Chards I've had
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Une belle couleur jaune avec reflets dorés très limpide Des arômes de melons et de tarte aux pommes. Une attaque fraîche suivi d'un milieu de bouche tout en rondeur et lacté, en continuité des notes olfactives, une tarte aux pommes avec une boule de crème glacée bien riche ! Une bonne persistance. Servi avec du tiliapia en sauce béchamel au vin et pomme de terre. Bon rapport qualité-prix-plaisir
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Clear, medium lemon in color. The nose is clean, youthful, of medium itensity, with green fruit, some tropical fruit and a hint of herbaceousness. The palate is dry, with medium plus acidity and medium plus flavor intensity. The alcohol and body are medium. The palate shows citrus fruit, green fruit and some fresh vegetal characteristics. The wine is balanced and smooth, with a medium-long finish. Overall, this is a good to very good wine, made in a clean, fresh style that is quite food-friendly. It can be drunk now but has potential for aging another year or two for even greater integration.
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Hmmm, a classically California chard, a bit over-extracted and loaded with tropical fruit. Also a strange roasted/cream corn element that I get in flabbier overripe chards.... Not undrinkable, but this ain't no Chablis either (not that it's trying to be)...
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Haven't had a chardonnay this good in quite some time. Nicely balanced acidity, melons, pears, a hint of butter, finishes clean and crisp. Tasted at B-21.
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Served below cellar temp, consumed over 2 hours. Even after warming, the nose was fairly reserved, giving off floral notes and a hint of green apple. On the palate, though, a steely acidic backbone supported creamy tropical fruit, mixed floral notes, and little bit of butter. Good now, but seems like it will last and maybe even improve over the next couple of years. A solid performer and the best CA chard I've had in a while.
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Lite yellow color with a golden sheen. Clear, crisp nose of green apples, not too ripe. Effervescence on the tongue. Sweet melon, tannins quite noticeable in the pleasant bitterness on the finish, which lasts quite a while. Vague tropical fruit notes as well. Very interesting, if a bit sweet, and very young, for my taste. Quite promising with a few years of age. Caveat: tasted in-flight (Delta).
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Very nice unoaked chard. Nose was very tropical, with nice acidity and some green apple on palate. Enjoyed it, although I liked the oaked version from the same vintage a bit better.
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Used for cooking chicken dish and enjoyed with the meal. Simple unoaked Chardonnay, yet very solid and satisfying. A little more tart and less buttery than a lot of the California wines, brought the real essence of the wine forward.
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Let me start out by saying 99% of the time I hate California Chard... That being said, this was actually a nice wine. It is not huge and fruity. It has a nice steely characteristic which I enjoy. It would be very nice with food. Reminds me of a low to mid range Chablis. If you are a fan of Big Bold Chardonay this might not be the wine for you....
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Crisp and Clean. This is probably as good of an example of an un-oaked Chardonnay as I have found. Great to pair with seafood that has a little butter in the sauce. The acidity is in balance and will stand up to richer, creamier sauces without being over the top. At the $20 price point, it is hard to beat. Ceramic bottle was an interesting concept.
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This is a wonderful example of unoaked chardonnay. I drank with with several people who tend to shy away from chardonnays, and they all thought it was amazing. Hard not to enjoy this one.
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If you like unoaked California Charodonnay, look no further than this beauty from Mer Soleil. The nose is nothing short of a bouquet of sweet fresh ripe pears, lemons, pineapple, limes, and banana. No oak nor malolactic fermentation, the crisp acidity and sheer freshness in this wine is stunning. Unlike the typical oaked and malo fermented Cali Chardonnays, this wine's aromatics take it to a level completely different from it buttery, creamy, toasted brethren. The wine is light grassy green and looks more like a Sauvigon Blanc. Rather than coating the mouth, it cleanses the mouth with a blast of sweet white fruit and acidity that settles into the recesses of the palate where it remains for several minutes. Wow, quite an eye opening Chardonnay.
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7/15/2017 - CurlerSue wrote:
Santa Lucia Highlands - nice flavour
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6/29/2015 - Fugu Me wrote: flawed
Found this in the back of my cellar. Might have been good 5 years ago.
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7/29/2013 - Baron Slick wrote: 89 Points
Bright, golden appearance. Ripe nose of pineapple, lemon custard, vanilla, and touches of banana and graham cracker yeast. No one flavor particularly stands out, but the palate is crisp and juicy, with lively middle acidity, a tug of minerals on the medium finish, and a harmless hint of heat on the aftertaste. Definitely a food wine.
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7/13/2012 - YWG Wine Guy wrote: 87 Points
Yet another different style to Chardonnay...this on sale @mlcc in Winnipeg. Figured I'd give a try as producer has good rep. This is a solid wine, likely worth the $19. Not quite my style as very rich and fulll bodied, verging off dry for me. Nose is not as descript as others have described, but light grapefruit and pear. Mouthfeel is kind of like apple juice. Light acid, some notes that are on nose come through on palate. A tad bitter nutty'ness is there also on medium finish. Not something I would come back to....saying that the latest ceramic bottle offering is intriguing.
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7/10/2012 - Tmckenzi wrote: 84 Points
Aroma is grapefruit, with a bit of raspberry and butter. Flavor- dry and pretty bold even though it's un-oaked. More white grapefruit, some pineapple, alcohol. Long finish. Better with food. Roast chicken, ham,collard greens.
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4/14/2012 - ccotton8 Likes this wine: 88 Points
Really nice, simple straight forward not complicated. This is the chard that was fermented in concrete tanks.
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1/13/2012 - lumpyelbow wrote: 92 Points
This is really good. Stripped down but still voluptuous. A little unrefined but delicious. Pear, sea shells, wet linen. Has a slight spearmint-like high note which adds a dichotomy. For the price one of the best Chards I've had
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11/10/2011 - YoRi wrote: 89 Points
Une belle couleur jaune avec reflets dorés très limpide
Des arômes de melons et de tarte aux pommes.
Une attaque fraîche suivi d'un milieu de bouche tout en rondeur et lacté, en continuité des notes olfactives, une tarte aux pommes avec une boule de crème glacée bien riche !
Une bonne persistance.
Servi avec du tiliapia en sauce béchamel au vin et pomme de terre.
Bon rapport qualité-prix-plaisir
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9/11/2011 - TannicBeast wrote: 89 Points
Clear, medium lemon in color. The nose is clean, youthful, of medium itensity, with green fruit, some tropical fruit and a hint of herbaceousness. The palate is dry, with medium plus acidity and medium plus flavor intensity. The alcohol and body are medium. The palate shows citrus fruit, green fruit and some fresh vegetal characteristics. The wine is balanced and smooth, with a medium-long finish. Overall, this is a good to very good wine, made in a clean, fresh style that is quite food-friendly. It can be drunk now but has potential for aging another year or two for even greater integration.
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7/17/2011 - danstrings wrote: 85 Points
Hmmm, a classically California chard, a bit over-extracted and loaded with tropical fruit. Also a strange roasted/cream corn element that I get in flabbier overripe chards.... Not undrinkable, but this ain't no Chablis either (not that it's trying to be)...
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7/11/2011 - wineguy58 wrote: 88 Points
green apples pears clean balanced minerality which is a good change in CA chardonnay.
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7/1/2011 - Oakjeff wrote: 88 Points
Super clean. Light in color with a nose of green & yellow apples. Smooth & round and despite the absence of oak there is a bit of spice.
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6/11/2011 - RJandGB wrote: 90 Points
I think this is how chardonnay should taste - simple, clean. This has lots of lemon notes and good minerality.
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5/14/2011 - wineotim wrote: 90 Points
Haven't had a chardonnay this good in quite some time. Nicely balanced acidity, melons, pears, a hint of butter, finishes clean and crisp. Tasted at B-21.
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5/7/2011 - ews3 wrote: 88 Points
2011 Philadelphia Wine Festival (Marriott, Philadelphia PA): simple and a little green -- some oak might have helped this.
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5/1/2011 - bretrooks wrote: 90 Points
Served below cellar temp, consumed over 2 hours. Even after warming, the nose was fairly reserved, giving off floral notes and a hint of green apple. On the palate, though, a steely acidic backbone supported creamy tropical fruit, mixed floral notes, and little bit of butter. Good now, but seems like it will last and maybe even improve over the next couple of years. A solid performer and the best CA chard I've had in a while.
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4/15/2011 - TexasBob wrote: 87 Points
Lite yellow color with a golden sheen. Clear, crisp nose of green apples, not too ripe. Effervescence on the tongue. Sweet melon, tannins quite noticeable in the pleasant bitterness on the finish, which lasts quite a while. Vague tropical fruit notes as well. Very interesting, if a bit sweet, and very young, for my taste. Quite promising with a few years of age. Caveat: tasted in-flight (Delta).
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4/10/2011 - tcufletch wrote: 90 Points
This was excellent. Paired with some teriyaki and pineapple meatballs. Not overly fruity
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3/13/2011 - jfarley3 wrote: 88 Points
One of the better Cal Chardonnay's. Crisp but with a good medium body. Notes of toast, vanilla, and a hint of butter with a clean finish.
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3/12/2011 - smcvick wrote: 89 Points
Very nice unoaked chard. Nose was very tropical, with nice acidity and some green apple on palate. Enjoyed it, although I liked the oaked version from the same vintage a bit better.
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1/29/2011 - Daisyscooler wrote: 89 Points
Used for cooking chicken dish and enjoyed with the meal. Simple unoaked Chardonnay, yet very solid and satisfying. A little more tart and less buttery than a lot of the California wines, brought the real essence of the wine forward.
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1/8/2011 - kdubler wrote:
Let me start out by saying 99% of the time I hate California Chard... That being said, this was actually a nice wine. It is not huge and fruity. It has a nice steely characteristic which I enjoy. It would be very nice with food. Reminds me of a low to mid range Chablis. If you are a fan of Big Bold Chardonay this might not be the wine for you....
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1/1/2011 - cubswinws wrote: 92 Points
Cleaned crisp flavors. Very nice. Much different than first bottle I had.
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12/24/2010 - mkmast wrote: 91 Points
Crisp and Clean. This is probably as good of an example of an un-oaked Chardonnay as I have found. Great to pair with seafood that has a little butter in the sauce. The acidity is in balance and will stand up to richer, creamier sauces without being over the top. At the $20 price point, it is hard to beat. Ceramic bottle was an interesting concept.
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12/22/2010 - cubswinws wrote: flawed
Initially bitter but this blew off and was a nice delightful chard.(? sulfur). Nice ceramic vessel.
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12/12/2010 - 3daywinereview.com wrote: 88 Points
Better than their oak version with apple, pear, minerals and pinneapple. Medium finish with nice flavor.
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12/6/2010 - schimidg wrote: 91 Points
This is a wonderful example of unoaked chardonnay. I drank with with several people who tend to shy away from chardonnays, and they all thought it was amazing. Hard not to enjoy this one.
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11/19/2010 - aranpura wrote: 91 Points
Really great, round, chardonnay. Unoaked, clean but not too acidic. Definitely would buy this again.
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11/18/2010 - aranpura wrote: 88 Points
Open up well, nice acidity, medium body.
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8/21/2010 - N2Vin wrote: 93 Points
If you like unoaked California Charodonnay, look no further than this beauty from Mer Soleil. The nose is nothing short of a bouquet of sweet fresh ripe pears, lemons, pineapple, limes, and banana. No oak nor malolactic fermentation, the crisp acidity and sheer freshness in this wine is stunning. Unlike the typical oaked and malo fermented Cali Chardonnays, this wine's aromatics take it to a level completely different from it buttery, creamy, toasted brethren. The wine is light grassy green and looks more like a Sauvigon Blanc. Rather than coating the mouth, it cleanses the mouth with a blast of sweet white fruit and acidity that settles into the recesses of the palate where it remains for several minutes. Wow, quite an eye opening Chardonnay.
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7/31/2010 - pinotwinelover wrote: 90 Points
I enjoyed this clean wine but mainly bought it because of the limited edition ceramic bottle which is very cool.
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