February 25, 2023 - Baked apple and honeysuckle. Low acidity. Palate is syrupy. It has passed its prime.
January 1, 2022 - Deep golden color. Apple and honey on the nose. Very nice velvety mouth feel but no evident fruit on the palate. This was way past it’s prime but still drinkable.
September 27, 2020 - Opened for an hour straight from the fridge, put back in the fridge with cork In it for 60 minutes an ten took to a friend's house where it sat out an open for 30 minutes more. Wine was outstanding, beautiful mouthfeel with a little viscosity, lemon and cut grass on the nose. Crispness of the wine made it still seem youthful. Last of a case we got on release, I think if you are patient with chilling and giving this wine some time to breathe you are greatly rewarded.
September 26, 2020 - You never know opening aged Cali Chardonnays -even with pedigree PM,Marcassin,J Rochioli etc.
I brought this as a “back up” to a current vintage. Was prepared to open a bottle that went from straw to golden in a few minutes. I was surprised, maybe shocked at the color. It was a medium strong pale color. It didn’t change.Was poured within one hour of opening. Beautiful fruit, beautiful balance.long finish There is no doubt this is one great example of how California Chardonnays can age. I didn’t purposely age this wine. Just had bottles to go over the years and found this one that needed to be tried.
PS. I bought this wine release and it has been stored at 55° since.
August 1, 2020 - Deep straw yellow color, served with just a slight chill. Aromas of apple, fig and pear with a hint of honeycomb underneath. Still quite rich and full across the palate. Orchard fruit, marshmallow fluff, and candied vanilla bean notes with a hint of citrus fruit on the back end. 93+ pts.
June 27, 2020 - Chilled for an hour, paired with lemongrass tofu. Really great pairing, the lemon still shows through so strong and is a bit candied. there is other citrus, sweetness from a honey nose and candied sugar. As expected it is showing a bit of age in the mouth. but not as much in the nose. However, I can't emphasize enough that the flavor of the wine is still so pronounced and the pairing for the wine is critical to maximize the greatness of this wine.
May 10, 2020 - Mother's Day...needed a substantial Chardonnay to pair with Dijon Sea Scallops. Chilled, Slow Oxed for about 20 minutes, drank over 2 hours. In my cellar for about 10 years...
Deep gold color. Perfumed, deep nose of honey, orchard fruits, batonnage (?), white flower. Palate showing candied citrus, pineapple, creme brulee, butterscotch. Rich texture, continues through mid palate. Medium weight, long finish.
In short, this wine killed on this night. I expected it to be good, last bottle Christmas of 17...its improved from there and shows no signs of slowing down. It evolved in the glass a fair amount in the first hour, based on this bottle I would have decanted or slow oxed longer. Amazing that a 12 year old Calif Chardonnay still showing this well at this stage in its life. Great stuff
July 27, 2019 - Same as previous note. This wine shows no signs of turning back!
December 25, 2018 - Amazing wine showing what good CA Chard becomes in the hands of a deft wine maker with access to unique terroir. This wine is huge....LONG finish that coats the mouth with tropical fruit; petrol nose. In a really good place
November 20, 2018 - Deserving of its WS rating. Golden yellow color. No flaws. Mild sediment. Moderate rim variation. Nose of citrus and white flower. Earthy and old world. Low tannin. Low acid. Medium alcohol. Long, long finish. Paired perfectly with hummus. Perfectly ready to drink. Suspect plenty of bottle life left.