Medium golden color. The nose is a mix of fresh-cut honeydew & lemon zest. The palate initially shows a lot of vibrant acidity, keeping this effort nice & crisp, while the wine's distinct oak notes weave effortlessly into a spicy, almost tart, vanilla finish. But as it warms, the wine becomes sweeter & the oak morphs into more butterscotch-like notes, both on the nose & the palate. Serve this well chilled...Still, a very nice wine! [14.4 % abv.; $35].
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A great CA Chard. Nicely oaked, rich carmel with a pineapple nose upon opening. Don't over-chill the good chards - serve them just like you would a red or with no more than half an hour of cooling....note that a couple of comments said it got better as it warmed.
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Over oaked and kind of sweet pear tastes. Heavy. Compared to a Melville Clone 76 Inox was definitely lacking. The Melville had a lively, crisp and clean taste while the Rombauer was heavy, almost syrupy.
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At Tra Vigne lunch. Yellow-green color. Strong nose with hints of grass and vegetal overtones but the overwhelming sense of this wine is OAK! This feels overdone and unbalanced. Not altogether unpleasant but an unexceptional glass.
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Buttery and fruity, but not necessarily in that order. This is a big Chard and nicely crafted. Opened up after an hour or so and after warming a bit. Good, lingering finish keeps you coming back for more.
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Tropical notes, pleasant nose. None of the deep, rich butter or yeast-bread that I loved in the 2001(?). A hint of what I can only describe as 'lipstick' flavor...not petroleum but...as close as I can come to a description. I always enjoy the Rombauer chards, this just a bit less so. I'm anxious to leave a bit to taste tomorrow to see whether there is a change toward buttered bread.
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A sweet very rich buttery chardonnay with underlining lemon and lime. This wine can definitely fulfil your butter cravings. I think it's best by its self although we had it with crab legs which was not the best food pairing. We finished the bottle a day and a half later and though it had improved.
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can't find professional review, it seems that rombauer has not made a chardonnay for awhile. gary of gary's marketplace says it is a winner. this wine is not very forward on the nose but offers good fruit on the palate with substantial mouth feel. not a lot of butter and vanilla. just good clean chardonnay. a little bit of petrol at the beginning which dissipates with time. the wine really opens up as it gets closer to room temperature. this wine has the most prominent lemon/citrus flavors of any california chard i have ever tasted. almost makes you wonder whether it is too much so. more balanced fruit flavors come out at the end including a little peach. this is a multi-component but not a multi-layered wine. perhaps i would like to taste a little more vinosity. overall, not among my favorite california chards, but it was an interesting wine to add to one's taste experience. worth the money. since this is an early release, this wine may show more of what it is about in 6 months.
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2/10/2013 - Bunky Likes this wine: 90 Points
Liked the heavy butterscotch and caramel taste..........still had good structure.
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3/15/2012 - leighhunt wrote: 92 Points
Excellent. I think I really like older chards.
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7/10/2011 - tim95030 wrote: 89 Points
Getting old. Caramel and butterscotch. Touch of Meyer lemon on the palette.
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1/2/2010 - nkromberg wrote:
Kim had for dinner on New Years
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4/13/2009 - Jdjames wrote: 87 Points
Very nice, not quite as buttery as I recall also a bit of citrus as well as butterscotch
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4/8/2009 - Bacchant wrote: 93 Points
Medium golden color. The nose is a mix of fresh-cut honeydew & lemon zest. The palate initially shows a lot of vibrant acidity, keeping this effort nice & crisp, while the wine's distinct oak notes weave effortlessly into a spicy, almost tart, vanilla finish. But as it warms, the wine becomes sweeter & the oak morphs into more butterscotch-like notes, both on the nose & the palate. Serve this well chilled...Still, a very nice wine! [14.4 % abv.; $35].
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5/11/2008 - WinedUpBo wrote: 88 Points
Oaky. Generally like this wine very much, a little sweet, perhaps in the cellar too long.
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4/13/2008 - wineboat wrote: 91 Points
A great CA Chard. Nicely oaked, rich carmel with a pineapple nose upon opening. Don't over-chill the good chards - serve them just like you would a red or with no more than half an hour of cooling....note that a couple of comments said it got better as it warmed.
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12/11/2007 - mellison wrote: 87 Points
Over oaked and kind of sweet pear tastes. Heavy. Compared to a Melville Clone 76 Inox was definitely lacking. The Melville had a lively, crisp and clean taste while the Rombauer was heavy, almost syrupy.
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10/24/2007 - mellison wrote: 88 Points
Definitely needed to be drank. Still some fruit but almost syrupy. Typical over-oaked mid priced chardonnay.
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3/30/2007 - LauraandJosh wrote: 91 Points
Still a favorite- love the butter. Improves at it warms up. Looking forward to trying the '05.
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2/17/2007 - clwagner wrote: 90 Points
Nice color, good flavor
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1/28/2007 - asiabear wrote: 87 Points
At Tra Vigne lunch. Yellow-green color. Strong nose with hints of grass and vegetal overtones but the overwhelming sense of this wine is OAK! This feels overdone and unbalanced. Not altogether unpleasant but an unexceptional glass.
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10/20/2006 - jhuff01 wrote: 93 Points
well-balanced...buttery and oaky but not overdone.
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8/3/2006 - david.scott wrote: 90 Points
Butter, butter, butter! Crisp, almost like stainless steel. Aromas of flint/graphite, apples, and lemons.
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7/17/2006 - vy#10 wrote:
Heavily oaked. A little sweet with a strange kind of hard candy taste. I didn't love it ... but others would. Well made for its style.
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6/4/2006 - Cynthia wrote: 93 Points
Fruit forward and rich. Medium to long finish. Nice oak tone integrated into the wine. Very balanced wine.
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6/2/2006 - WineDrinkerofTX wrote: 89 Points
Very enjoyable, but a bit over-the-top on oakiness and buttered popcorn. Definately would be a crowd pleaser at dinner parties though.
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3/30/2006 - BigTurtle wrote: 90 Points
Buttery and fruity, but not necessarily in that order. This is a big Chard and nicely crafted. Opened up after an hour or so and after warming a bit. Good, lingering finish keeps you coming back for more.
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3/22/2006 - Barstool wrote: 87 Points
Tropical notes, pleasant nose. None of the deep, rich butter or yeast-bread that I loved in the 2001(?). A hint of what I can only describe as 'lipstick' flavor...not petroleum but...as close as I can come to a description. I always enjoy the Rombauer chards, this just a bit less so. I'm anxious to leave a bit to taste tomorrow to see whether there is a change toward buttered bread.
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1/20/2006 - Wine Cellar wrote: 90 Points
A sweet very rich buttery chardonnay with underlining lemon and lime. This wine can definitely fulfil your butter cravings. I think it's best by its self although we had it with crab legs which was not the best food pairing. We finished the bottle a day and a half later and though it had improved.
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12/7/2005 - AllRed wrote: 89 Points
Opens with apple, banana, and toasted oak notes. Flavors of butterscotch and apple with plenty of oak. Young; needs some time.
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12/2/2005 - RobB wrote: 85 Points
A bit sweet for my tastes
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9/3/2005 - bacchus wrote: 90 Points
can't find professional review, it seems that rombauer has not made a chardonnay for awhile. gary of gary's marketplace says it is a winner. this wine is not very forward on the nose but offers good fruit on the palate with substantial mouth feel. not a lot of butter and vanilla. just good clean chardonnay. a little bit of petrol at the beginning which dissipates with time. the wine really opens up as it gets closer to room temperature. this wine has the most prominent lemon/citrus flavors of any california chard i have ever tasted. almost makes you wonder whether it is too much so. more balanced fruit flavors come out at the end including a little peach. this is a multi-component but not a multi-layered wine. perhaps i would like to taste a little more vinosity. overall, not among my favorite california chards, but it was an interesting wine to add to one's taste experience. worth the money. since this is an early release, this wine may show more of what it is about in 6 months.
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