July 27, 2020 - Midwinter, 27 July, 2020 (Pokai Parera, Ekatahuna, New Zealand): Drunk directly after a Jadot Batard Montrachet 2002, this was by far the superior wine. Very much in the style of the Grand Cru, but with considerable new French oak handling, that adds a creamy texture and vanilla palate profile, that is perfectly (and I mean perfectly) balanced by its Hawkes Bay acids. Long, developed, but in no way tired (unlike the Jadot). At a peak of maturity, but showing no signs of decline. The finest NZ Chardonnay I have ever drunk.
July 24, 2017 - Delicious buttery goodness, consistent with my previous notes. Overall I'm very pleased with uniformity of 5 bottles I picked up in Jan: over the last six months, not much bottle to bottle variation which is encouraging, and to me at least, educational. This is my last bottle from the set. I had been previously shying away from older CA whites, concerned about their aging behavior. Not as concerned anymore after trying these lovely 12-year chards.
April 16, 2017 - The cork was a pain (broke in half while extracting) and wine was initially a little brash, but after half an hour in a glass the complexity has unfolded. What a beautiful chard! Buttery nose, toast, brioche, tropical fruit. The palate is smooth, round, green fruit and citrus. Silky smooth. Delightful complexity.
February 19, 2017 - Straw gold in color, decanted for 30 min. On the nose faint herbal and oak notes. On the palate creamy citrus and oak. Well balanced. Smooth. At peak, time to drink up.
April 11, 2015 - Colour pale gold. Aromatics subdued with notes of clotted cream, tropical fruit like pineapple and guava, wet river boulder and some minerals, with a little citrus and some yellow apple. There is French oak evident but it is not overly prominent. In the mouth, the first impression is that the wine is lower acid and the wine is a rounded, smooth and perhaps a little soft. The wine has a creamy texture, reminding me of a lemon custard (but, obviously, it is not that sweet). Lactic but not over-oaked. A moderately complex flavour profile including flavours of talcum powder, poached pears, some minerals and crushed stones with a clear pineapple, tropical fruit element. Good fruit weight and a creamy texture. The 14.5% alc is a surprise as I did not detect heat on the palate. At maturity, drink soon.
February 16, 2015 - Mid gold. Developed. Ripe, tropical fruits with some minerality. Balanced and reasonably complex. Drink now. (91 Very good wine)
May 23, 2013 - Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay (AuZone, Stockholm): Pale yellow. Nose with citrus, slightly herbal, apple, discrete flowery notes, some green notes. Palate with citrus, mineral, some green notes, high acidity, fresh aftertaste with a cool impression.
Very cool and firm, the oak is not evident, elegant. Rather young.
The nose set it apart from the rest of the lineup.
October 6, 2012 - Surprisingly lightly colored at 7+ years old, this wine does exhibit a more fully mature nose and palate impression, but it should hold for 2-3 years, possibly more. Impressive concentration and extract without losing balance because ample acidity is present. Excellent by my standards.
March 16, 2011 - Picked this up for a good price at the outlet on Broadway, very afraid it would be oxidized. It was not. It is wonderfully matured, rich, in harmony with notes of orange peel, minerals, vanilla and a good acidity that keeps the structure. It is very Burgundian, yet tell tale new world because of its richness. Probably peeking right now. With U. at Degustation, NYC.
October 5, 2010 - Very interesting flavors, non-traditional Chard. A weird lemon, salty, apple veggie attack which is kinda good, but not balanced, followed by a creme brule finish. Good acidity which I like, but it's not well balanced keeping it from getting a mid-low 90's score from me.