Leesy, floral and energetic, with a deep savoury brioche and walnut character. Textural and slightly honeyed, cut through with sharp apple on the palate
Blind, guessed Chile. Quite tropical, almost sweaty with some woody notes, vanilla bean. Smoky and overworked for my taste. Round and textural on the palate, some grip and noticeable heat. I found it ripe and unrefined - not for me.
Blind, guessed SA. Pure, powerful nose: sweet spiced apricot, almond. A real clarity of perfume - vetiver and confit lemon. It has a sense of poise. Slightly tight on the palate but with some lovely concentration and balance, nice acidity and a saline note on the finish. Passed the Cellartracker test once revealed.
Blind, guessed Jura. On its way to being an orange wine: quite oxidative with notes of citrus zest, wool, toasted almond and burnt butter. Woody, with a beautiful balmy perfume. Right up my street, but certainly not in the Burgundian mould. Red apple, white peach and musk on the palate - round with a hint of grip and twist of acidity.
Blind, guessed SA. Definitely oaked, definitely ripe. Quite opulent but so appealing! Jasmine, orange, ripe lemon, smoke. Some citrus sweetness on the palate - dense with a gorgeous ripe acidity that dances on the finish. It's really good, but in this company it was perhaps a bit extravert by comparison.
Blind, incorrectly guessed Oregon. A sense of balance and delicacy - a sweet perfume, friendly and appealing with a lingering spice. Texture and cut on the palate: white peach and ripe apple with a fresh sharpness to the acidity. Just lacks some density.
Incorrectly guessed Cali. Candied and bright - a little sickly maybe? Smoky and nutty, sweet peach and red apple. Surprisingly vertical and malic on the palate - is it very young? Kind of directionless - heavy but not that concentrated. Just a bit all over the place
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet
Blind. So clearly Burgundy. FFS - a clear step above anything else at the tasting, and confirms that white Burg has no equal. Lemon balm, seawater, toasted almond, panna cotta, a wisp of smoke. A beautiful nose - expressive, restrained and finely delineated. Breadth, depth and angles on the palate with a lovely ripe acidity cutting through a textural body. Maybe just a little bit of heat before a long tapered finish. Turns out I've had this before, and loved it then as well.
Blind, incorrectly guessed Cali. Smoke, stones, beurre noisette. Narrow, focused on the palate - it's not that flavoursome but has a honeyed character and mouthwatering, juicy acidity. Perfectly competent but unremarkable
Blind, guessed Romania (!). Charmingly messy. Punchy, hot-smoked and barnyardy. Almost sulphuric - although underneath the chaos there's a pretty, perfumed character. Textural and grippy on the palate, sweetly tangy. Not my thing but can imagine it being a cool btg option to match with certain dishes.
2008 Boizel Champagne 92 Points
France, Champagne
Leesy, floral and energetic, with a deep savoury brioche and walnut character. Textural and slightly honeyed, cut through with sharp apple on the palate
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2021 Concha y Toro Chardonnay Amelia Quebrada Seca Limarí Valley 86 Points
Chile, Limarí Valley
Blind, guessed Chile. Quite tropical, almost sweaty with some woody notes, vanilla bean. Smoky and overworked for my taste. Round and textural on the palate, some grip and noticeable heat. I found it ripe and unrefined - not for me.
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2018 Rudolf Fürst Astheimer Chardonnay 93 Points
Germany, Franken
Blind, guessed SA. Pure, powerful nose: sweet spiced apricot, almond. A real clarity of perfume - vetiver and confit lemon. It has a sense of poise. Slightly tight on the palate but with some lovely concentration and balance, nice acidity and a saline note on the finish. Passed the Cellartracker test once revealed.
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2018 Tissot (Bénédicte et Stéphane / André et Mireille) Arbois Les Bruyères 93 Points
France, Jura, Arbois
Blind, guessed Jura. On its way to being an orange wine: quite oxidative with notes of citrus zest, wool, toasted almond and burnt butter. Woody, with a beautiful balmy perfume. Right up my street, but certainly not in the Burgundian mould. Red apple, white peach and musk on the palate - round with a hint of grip and twist of acidity.
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2021 Lismore Chardonnay Estate Reserve 92 Points
South Africa, Cape South Coast, Overberg, Greyton
Blind, guessed SA. Definitely oaked, definitely ripe. Quite opulent but so appealing! Jasmine, orange, ripe lemon, smoke. Some citrus sweetness on the palate - dense with a gorgeous ripe acidity that dances on the finish. It's really good, but in this company it was perhaps a bit extravert by comparison.
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2018 Hanzell Chardonnay 90 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley
Blind, incorrectly guessed Oregon. A sense of balance and delicacy - a sweet perfume, friendly and appealing with a lingering spice. Texture and cut on the palate: white peach and ripe apple with a fresh sharpness to the acidity. Just lacks some density.
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2020 Gusbourne Chardonnay Guinevere 85 Points
United Kingdom, England, Kent
Incorrectly guessed Cali. Candied and bright - a little sickly maybe? Smoky and nutty, sweet peach and red apple. Surprisingly vertical and malic on the palate - is it very young? Kind of directionless - heavy but not that concentrated. Just a bit all over the place
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2019 Olivier Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet Les Enseignères 94 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet
Blind. So clearly Burgundy. FFS - a clear step above anything else at the tasting, and confirms that white Burg has no equal. Lemon balm, seawater, toasted almond, panna cotta, a wisp of smoke. A beautiful nose - expressive, restrained and finely delineated. Breadth, depth and angles on the palate with a lovely ripe acidity cutting through a textural body. Maybe just a little bit of heat before a long tapered finish. Turns out I've had this before, and loved it then as well.
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2022 Iona Chardonnay Elgin 88 Points
South Africa, Cape South Coast, Elgin
Blind, incorrectly guessed Cali. Smoke, stones, beurre noisette. Narrow, focused on the palate - it's not that flavoursome but has a honeyed character and mouthwatering, juicy acidity. Perfectly competent but unremarkable
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2020 Alois Lageder Chardonnay Löwengang 87 Points
Italy, Trentino-Alto Adige, Alto Adige, Alto Adige - Südtirol
Blind, guessed Romania (!). Charmingly messy. Punchy, hot-smoked and barnyardy. Almost sulphuric - although underneath the chaos there's a pretty, perfumed character. Textural and grippy on the palate, sweetly tangy. Not my thing but can imagine it being a cool btg option to match with certain dishes.
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