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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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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