December 15, 2022 - Consistent with previous TN. Terrific example of California chard. Nuanced, involving. Delicious.
August 24, 2022 - Superbly balanced California chard. Delightful tropical notes (especially pineapples) within a fresh, lean, at times also floral wine of welcoming acidity and subdued oak. Exactly the right, gentle pitch of fruit sweetness. Delicious.
July 23, 2022 - One off ($35) from Napa wine brokerage site #1, recent purchase. On the nose and palate, medium+ notes of sweet orange, Meyer lemon, green apples, white melon, honeycomb and rocky minerality. Medium gold, medium bodied, fullish legs. Still potent acidity, no heat. Excellent intensity, VG+ persistence, VG persistence. I tend to like my better CA chards, which DG consistently makes, most in the 5-8 year age range, and this is likely the oldest one of theirs I had, but with their consistence crispness, vibrant acidity and relatively low abv, this seemed a good candidate for longevity, and it generally was. I didn’t get the variation others have based on serving temperature—I tend to like my chards more at wine fridge than room temperature—and while the fruit was a bit less fulsome on night 2 than night 1, the notes off the pour were pretty similar to after various stages of aeration. In no way ungenerous and with just a soupçon of oak and creaminess, there’s no vanilla nor butter in sight, and this chard presents as rigorous, lean and taut, with wonderful savoriness balancing the sweeter fruit notes. Equally good as a standalone as with broiled salmon and veggies. I’ve spoken fondly of DG in other notes, and different bottlings across different vintages have never failed to meet or exceed expectations. Good if slightly uninspiring at retail—the winery is currently selling this through its library program for $68–when you can find these either in the secondary market or on discount sites, they’re super compelling buys which should appeal to a wide variety of palates. And as an aside, I’ve been fortunate to get to know some of the people at the winery through tasting events and visits over the years, and you’d have a hard time finding a nicer, more knowledgeable and giving group. If I had more, I’d drink it sooner than later, but not necessarily tomorrow. 93-94, with intangibles pushing it to the higher score. Highly recommended around what I paid.
July 17, 2019 - So D-G's flagship Chard was great as always in this vintage. One thing though, you can't drink this one cold - it won't open up nose or taste until you let it get fairly close to room temperature. I'd still chill it, but not very much at all.
December 22, 2018 - Amazing chardonnay, crisp, not oakey, great flavour
October 13, 2018 - Toffee, citrus fruit on the nose nice body and mouth feel a little too much on the alcohol but not over
December 20, 2017 - Much more like a Rued than the last bottle we pulled from our cellar. Lovely floral on the bouquet. Rich, but with a crispness, and lots of interesting flavors around the core chardonnay. Quite nice!
November 24, 2017 - Not going to grade this. It was just weird. It wasn't like a bottle that had gone bad, it just didn't have any thing like the taste we've experienced from other bottles of the same vintage in our cellar. Also, it wasn't too cold (I know not to drink the Rued too cool). I'm interested in what other CT posters have seen.
October 14, 2017 - Lovely clear citrus notes. We first drank at a too cool temperature. Brighter and rounder as it warms. Creamy but not overly buttery.
February 19, 2017 - Drank our second bottle and loved this even more. It is a beautifully bright chard, crisp, with just enough malo-lactic to round it out and impart creaminess without devolving to a full blown butter bomb. More importantly, this is combined with a vibrant acidity. Clear citrus flavor, a hint of grapefruit to deepen the taste. A little grass. The wine elevated a simple chicken dish and turned a random dinner at home into something special.