2007 Varner Chardonnay Spring Ridge Vineyard Bee Block

Community Tasting Notes (36) Avg Score: 92.3 points

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  5/6/2022 - forceberry wrote: 89 Points

  100% Chardonnay from the dry-farmed 17-yo plot in Santa Cruz Mountains. Fermented spontaneously, aged in partially new French oak barrels. 14,6% alcohol. Tasted blind.
  
  Quite deep, burnished golden yellow color with a pale amber core. Quite sweet, expressive and somewhat tropical nose with aromas of poached pear, vanilla pod, some lactic notes of apple yogurt, a little bit of very ripe pineapple, light apricot nuances, a hint of leesy character and a touch of nuttiness. The wine feels noticeably ripe, rich and full-bodied yet still surprisingly fresh and acid-driven at the same time. There are intense, sweet-toned flavors of ripe apricot, some vanilla, light tropical notes of passion fruit and sweet pineapple, a little bit of stony minerality, a lactic hint of apple yogurt and a touch of nutty oak. The high alcohol lends somewhat obvious warmth to the palate. The high acidity lends good zip and precision to this otherwise rather ripe, substantial and even slightly oily wine. The finish is ripe, sweet-toned and moderately warm with medium-long flavors of juicy peach, some vanilla oak, a little bit of pineapple, light lactic notes of apple yogurt, a hint of passion fruit and a leesy touch of creaminess.
  
  A rich, juicy and sweet-toned Cali Chardonnay that feels quite substantial and even a bit heavy, despite its surprisingly brisk and focused acidic spine. The combination of very ripe fruit, vanilla oak and at times even a bit obtrusive alcohol is just too much for me - the wine is definitely impactful and seems quite impressive with the first sip, but starts to come across as rather ponderous quite quickly. Although the wine is relatively youthful for its age and most likely it is going to evolve even further from here, I doubt any amount of aging will help with the problems related to super-ripe fruit flavors or too high alcohol. While a well-made wine and relatively balanced for the style, this wasn't really my cup of tea.

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  11/28/2019 - Frijole wrote:

  gold, lots of clarity, amber hue
  Nose: pear, honey, vanilla, thyme, musk, touch oak
  Pal: ripe pear, honey, vanilla, thyme, minerals, musk, touch oak
  Feel: medium, savory, acidic
  Finish: medium, long
  T8

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  9/5/2015 - bonedoc wrote: 95 Points

  Deep gold, citrus and iodine, buttery finish, perfect acidity. Deftly balanced, simply great.

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  8/15/2013 - AllRed wrote: 94 Points

  Friends' Anniversary Dinner (Anvil Club, East Dundee): Pale color. Aromas of butterscotch, vanilla, pear, melon and minerals. Terrific weight on the palate with flavors of white fruit and apple, pear, florals, citrus and coconut. Long, balanced finish. Developed a wonderful Meyer lemon creme brulee note. Has good underlying acidity and a lingering finish. Just gorgeous- go find yourself some of this. Thanks thelostverse!

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  8/15/2013 - thelostverse wrote: 94 Points

  Opened at Anvil for 26th anniversary dinner. Similar note as previous bottle. This is just a beautiful wine and is still holding strong.

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