Will comment that the wine's acid & minerality remained in balance & the fruit was subtly present, with soft white floral tea leaf aromas. However- the wine was not enjoyable, having lost its freshness.
Remarkable contrast to prior bottles from 08 & 09.
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Seems to have improved a little since last bottle. Initially extravagant nose calms with air and seems deceptively forward. Indeed, the wine is not- there is tension with substantial density balanced against appropriate acid and, almost, chalky minerality.
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light gold, lots of clarity, silvery hue Nose: ripe pear, green apple, white pepper, vanilla, musk, touch oak Pal: ripe pear, green apple, white pepper, minerals, vanilla, musk, oak Feel: medium, astringent Finish: medium, long T9
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golden yellow, lots of clarity, silvery hue Nose: pear, peach, thyme, silver, musk, oak Pal: pear, green apples, stewed peach, vanilla, thyme, musk, touch minerals, oak Feel: medium, full, acidic Finish: medium T7 (could be an 8)
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Probably was really really good at one point in time but not last night as it started to oxidize. It was still drinkable for the rest of our group but not for me and not worthy of any detailed notes.
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Light yellow color. A lovely nose of pear and coconut. Quite lively acids on a pear and honey-flavored, but dry, palate. Nice medium-to-long finish. Should still be drinking well up to its tenth birthday.
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Wow this was nice. Initially served a tad too cold so first glass was muted. That said, it was like pouring honey from a bottle. So viscous and syrupy. Beautiful butter and warm tea without over the top malolactic oakyness (which i like!) Classy wine. Now i know why i tried to get 6 bottles and was only awarded 2. BRAVO!
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Courtesy of thelostverse, and a wine I typically enjoy that for some reason just didn't do anything for me tonight, but I was in the minority here. Notes of butter, pear, butterscotch and coconut. On the palate there's a buttery, tinny flavor and also a harshness at the back of the throat and a good dose of toasted oak. Too much butterscotch and wood.
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Initially, a vibrant nose and somewhat leaner than the 2008 Bee Block. This wine seems to show a bit of ripe stem quality that becomes more noticeable with time in the glass. It's not terribly distracting, but does distinguish it from the 2008's near flawless composure. Here too, substantial fruit disguises respectable acid and minerality that become evident in the finish.
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Honey, honeysuckle, citrus, and mineral. Light bodied but a little creamy. Delicious. I opened this one to try the Varner Bee Block because I believe that the current vintage (2014) is the final one (Neely bought up all of Bee Block). I'll definitely be grabbing some more of this before it goes away!!
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In a really great spot right now, dripping with honeysuckle, pears, ripe apple and a firm mineral spine. Medium-bodied, racy at times, this shows best on the warmer end of the spectrum. In no threat of decline at the moment, this is firmly in its sweet spot now and for the next few years. Double decanted for 30 minutes, immediately re-corked and served non-blind 3 hours later. highly recommended
A veritable fruit stand of flavor hits you right away, from pear to pineapple. Mild acid and a bit nutty which shows so much promise but the alcohol dries it all out ending in a whimper. So much more potential but not quite all there.
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The sixth time I've had the pleasure of tasting this wine. See my notes of 11/15/14 and 10/14/14. Paired with Atlantic salmon - a good pairing, but I like the wine better by itself.
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More of a golden color this time. Creme brulee, poached pear, honey, minerals, not overly toasty oak. Rich, full bodied and intense fruit. Great balance. A long, long finish.
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Aromas and flavors of poached pear, pineapple, butter, brioche, baking spice and lightly toasted oak. Exceptional balance at this stage. Nice acid and structure. A long and extended finish. A little bette rthan my last two tastings.
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The 2009 Bee Block is tight-knit, but unwinds to offer up notions of ripe melon, honey, buttered popcorn and grapefruit. On the palate, this is more tropical than the corresponding Amphitheater Block, with a rich texture and a lingering mineral finish. At present, the wine seems relatively closed.
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Wine with Steak and Morels (Chez Kailin - Northbrook IL): Served blind. Fairly easy to identify as New World, with lots of fat, ultra ripe fruit, not exactly my style of wine, clearly forward, lush and top heavy, but lacking energy. It was easy to identify other tasters who would like this inelegant style of Chardonnay.
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Hedonistic for sure but also just rounding the corner into maturity. And delicious too. Wish I had more. And the obvious conclusion is sit on them for several years until they are ready. Great stuff here.
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It now has a golding-yellow color. The wine seems more open than in prior tastings. I decanted the wine and waited for it to get to warm up to about 65 degrees from the cellar temperature. Aromas and flavors of creme brulee, baked apple, poached pear, honey, minerals and vanillin oak. Graceful and somewhat creamy in the mouth. Rich and intense fruit. Excellent acid and structure. A long and extended finish that has some oak on it. A nice pairing with Paiche fish.
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With Apple/Onion/Brie soup. Nice straw color to the eye,. Decent but not perfumed nose, a bit of peach. Medium weight - but this did not go at all well with the food we had. Bad choice on my part. After dinner we finished the bottle, and it was much nicer. I know the community is showing this as a 90+ wine (Outstanding). Compared to the best chardonnays I've had, I would call this a very good wine - but I think I need to start censoring my score inflation a bit - so I call it 88. Very good - certainly. Outstanding? don't think so.
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Another vote for super-tight. I get baked apple and some tropical notes, but not as much nuance or complexity as I would like. Where the class and pedigree really show up for me is in the incredible length -- finish just goes on and on...
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Just about the same as when last tasted some 20 months ago wherein I indicated: “Aromas of vanillin (not overly toasty or charred), baked apple, pineapple, butter, minerals. It might have a somewhat more vanillin concentration than the "07 or"08, but not absurdly so. Viscous in the mouth, with the same flavors as the nose. A long and concentrated finish. I think this is a very nice wine, but at this stage, this "Bee Block" does not seem quite as seductive as either the '07 or '08.” Today, the wine still seems somewhat closed in, as far as the flavors. In the mouth, however, the fruit is a little more intense than last time. Hopefully, it will at some point break out of its dumb stage and give us what we’re all expecting. In any case, it’s a pretty good wine to appreciate now and pairs quite well with crab cakes. Score 92-93.
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I must agree with other recent posters, this wine is still pretty tight. It is quite enjoyable none the less. Don't serve it cold. It didn't taste like much of anything. After some warming and opening, it displayed the beauties of Varner with excellent balance, citrus and apple notes, and great mouth feel.
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The color of two week old hay. Distinctly oaked in a creamy, rich style. Apples and ripe pears for balance, but more cream, caramel, butter, and toast than bright fruits. Still well done in this style, and projects to age gracefully.
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Slow-O 2 hours. Medium straw, aromas run the gamut from lemon creme to orange liqueur. Medium bodied, with great focus and purity. A really lovely wine, and for my palate, everything I want in (oaked) Cali Chardonnay. Acids and overall structure are rather brilliant. Still a few years from peak. highly recommended, 14,7% abv, drink thru 2020
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Big buttery and creamy on the palate. Hints of lemon. Lots of oak. Not sure it's a great QPR, but still a great example of a big California Chard. Very Good!
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Pale yellow. Wonderful nose of peach, almond, a little caramel and a distinct smokiness that I found very appealing. Love the comment below of "pie crust palate;" that just about sums it up perfectly. Nice structure and good lengthy finish. Some minerals there too. I would disagree with those who found this overly oaky-- I thought the oak level was about right.
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Very nice, though the most introverted of the three Varner Chards. Nice nose. Maybe a bit closed, and enough acidity to wait. The oak frame is a bit noticable, but this isn't your bombastic Napa Chard. Light on it's feet, more buttered popcorn than brown butter and a bit less voluminous than Amphitheater.
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Private Tasting: Best of the US (Waterford Wine, Milwaukee): You know you're in a proper tasting event when a $45 white wine is used as a 'palate cleanser' at the end of a flight of fine pinots! But this positioning doesn't do this wine enough justice. Fantastic nutty aromas, touch of butter. Weighty palate with a creamy texture. Minerality and zippy acidity. Lovely length. Thoroughly enjoyable, well made chardonnay.
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Light on its feet yet carrying inner density, almost oily in texture, inititially shows tropical fruit and aroma, then the oak provides roundness and warmth followed by some intriguing mid-palate bitterness, then the oily liquified perfumed essence on the finish. A notch or two beneath the 2008 but still a compelling Chardonnay.
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A pale yellow color. Aromas of vanillin (not overly toasty or charred), baked apple, pineapple, butter, minerals. It might have a somewhat more vanillin concentration than the "07 or"08, but not absurdly so. Viscous in the mouth, with the same flavors as the nose. A long and concentrated finish. I think this is a very nice wine, but at this stage, this "Bee Block" does not seem quite as seductive as either the '07 or '08. But, this could easily change with time. Paired nicely with baked Rosey chicken.
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A little surprised at the poor reviews of this wine. Didn't get the overoaked impression from this. Ripe, and tropical, but generally well balanced. My only negative was that this was difficult to peg from a varietal standpoint- it would be tough to get chardonnay in a blind tasting
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potent nose of pineapple oak and stone fruits. some baking spices as well. the palate has pineapple up front w some creamy oak that does not overwhelm the fruit. succulent finish. delicious wine that needs a little time for the oak to relax.
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Blind White Throwdown (Roberts House, Philadelphia PA): Tasted blind. This was my first time tasting a Varner wine. After reading reviews, I expeted to enjoy this and nearly ordered a mixed case direct -- luckily, I bought a single bottle to try first from a retailer. This did not have an apparent flaw, but I wish it did so I would have something to blame. It smelled like a urinal... maybe a fairly fresh urinal cake, but still -- it was an offputting mix of fake fruit and chemical. palate was tough to draw anything out of other than sour fruit and a little bit of oak that tasted a little spoofed. finish was bitter and short. Picked as a Chardonnay, but as a Beaujolais Blanc I had thrown in. I was so shocked when we revealed that I revisited it immediately. Sadly, even non-blind and wanting to like it, I did not find this to be a good bottle. Major disappointment.
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Blind White Throwdown (Our House (2033 Brandywine St., Philadelphia)): Lemon on the nose. Pale color. Too sweet and flabby on the palate. No structure. Too much oak and too much heat. After some time in the glass, this improved, actually. Barely passable right now. Went from upper 70s to 80. It may become a passable wine in a few years. Maybe.
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Had at a tasting (non-blind) and was much less over the top than some but still had the buttered popcorn/oak contingent to it that wasn't as well integrated as in the 2008. I still found this wine to be enjoyable but I guess after the '08 Bee Block I was just expecting a bit more.
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12/20/2023 - oldcorke wrote:
Flawed bottle- prematurely aged. No rating.
Will comment that the wine's acid & minerality remained in balance & the fruit was subtly present, with soft white floral tea leaf aromas.
However- the wine was not enjoyable, having lost its freshness.
Remarkable contrast to prior bottles from 08 & 09.
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7/7/2023 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Nutty and really darn delicious. Perfectly aged and really wonderful.
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5/27/2022 - oldcorke Likes this wine: 95 Points
Seems to have improved a little since last bottle. Initially extravagant nose calms with air and seems deceptively forward. Indeed, the wine is not- there is tension with substantial density balanced against appropriate acid and, almost, chalky minerality.
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1/27/2021 - Frijole wrote:
light gold, lots of clarity, silvery hue
Nose: ripe pear, green apple, white pepper, vanilla, musk, touch oak
Pal: ripe pear, green apple, white pepper, minerals, vanilla, musk, oak
Feel: medium, astringent
Finish: medium, long
T9
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1/5/2020 - Frijole wrote:
golden yellow, lots of clarity, silvery hue
Nose: pear, peach, thyme, silver, musk, oak
Pal: pear, green apples, stewed peach, vanilla, thyme, musk, touch minerals, oak
Feel: medium, full, acidic
Finish: medium
T7 (could be an 8)
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12/1/2019 - markcic wrote: flawed
Totally Oxidized
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7/3/2019 - markcic Does not like this wine: 79 Points
Probably was really really good at one point in time but not last night as it started to oxidize. It was still drinkable for the rest of our group but not for me and not worthy of any detailed notes.
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1/27/2019 - KenK wrote: flawed
Oxidized
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4/15/2017 - wculpepper Likes this wine: 91 Points
Light yellow color. A lovely nose of pear and coconut. Quite lively acids on a pear and honey-flavored, but dry, palate. Nice medium-to-long finish. Should still be drinking well up to its tenth birthday.
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11/18/2016 - brian przyzycki wrote: 93 Points
Wow this was nice. Initially served a tad too cold so first glass was muted. That said, it was like pouring honey from a bottle. So viscous and syrupy. Beautiful butter and warm tea without over the top malolactic oakyness (which i like!) Classy wine. Now i know why i tried to get 6 bottles and was only awarded 2. BRAVO!
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11/17/2016 - AllRed wrote: 88 Points
Courtesy of thelostverse, and a wine I typically enjoy that for some reason just didn't do anything for me tonight, but I was in the minority here. Notes of butter, pear, butterscotch and coconut. On the palate there's a buttery, tinny flavor and also a harshness at the back of the throat and a good dose of toasted oak. Too much butterscotch and wood.
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7/19/2016 - oldcorke Likes this wine: 94 Points
Initially, a vibrant nose and somewhat leaner than the 2008 Bee Block. This wine seems to show a bit of ripe stem quality that becomes more noticeable with time in the glass. It's not terribly distracting, but does distinguish it from the 2008's near flawless composure. Here too, substantial fruit disguises respectable acid and minerality that become evident in the finish.
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5/7/2016 - tcarter Likes this wine: 93 Points
Honey, honeysuckle, citrus, and mineral. Light bodied but a little creamy. Delicious. I opened this one to try the Varner Bee Block because I believe that the current vintage (2014) is the final one (Neely bought up all of Bee Block). I'll definitely be grabbing some more of this before it goes away!!
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10/30/2015 - Tim Heaton Likes this wine:
In a really great spot right now, dripping with honeysuckle, pears, ripe apple and a firm mineral spine. Medium-bodied, racy at times, this shows best on the warmer end of the spectrum. In no threat of decline at the moment, this is firmly in its sweet spot now and for the next few years. Double decanted for 30 minutes, immediately re-corked and served non-blind 3 hours later. highly recommended
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5/20/2015 - Chainthroer wrote: 93 Points
See my notes of 11/15/14 and 10/14/14. Sorry to say, my last bottle of this vintage.
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5/4/2015 - LARich wrote: 91 Points
A veritable fruit stand of flavor hits you right away, from pear to pineapple. Mild acid and a bit nutty which shows so much promise but the alcohol dries it all out ending in a whimper. So much more potential but not quite all there.
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2/6/2015 - Chainthroer wrote: 93 Points
The sixth time I've had the pleasure of tasting this wine. See my notes of 11/15/14 and 10/14/14. Paired with Atlantic salmon - a good pairing, but I like the wine better by itself.
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11/27/2014 - thelostverse wrote: 94 Points
Still improving. Lovely honeyed peach with a long finish. No hurry here.
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11/15/2014 - Chainthroer wrote: 93 Points
More of a golden color this time. Creme brulee, poached pear, honey, minerals, not overly toasty oak. Rich, full bodied and intense fruit. Great balance. A long, long finish.
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10/14/2014 - Chainthroer wrote: 93 Points
Aromas and flavors of poached pear, pineapple, butter, brioche, baking spice and lightly toasted oak. Exceptional balance at this stage. Nice acid and structure. A long and extended finish. A little bette rthan my last two tastings.
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7/4/2014 - thelostverse wrote: 93 Points
Opened watching fireworks with Matt and Lynne. Consistent notes as previous bottle. Drinking very well, even from a styrofoam cup.
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5/8/2014 - William Kelley Likes this wine:
The 2009 Bee Block is tight-knit, but unwinds to offer up notions of ripe melon, honey, buttered popcorn and grapefruit. On the palate, this is more tropical than the corresponding Amphitheater Block, with a rich texture and a lingering mineral finish. At present, the wine seems relatively closed.
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5/3/2014 - Burgundy Al wrote:
Wine with Steak and Morels (Chez Kailin - Northbrook IL): Served blind. Fairly easy to identify as New World, with lots of fat, ultra ripe fruit, not exactly my style of wine, clearly forward, lush and top heavy, but lacking energy. It was easy to identify other tasters who would like this inelegant style of Chardonnay.
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1/28/2014 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Hedonistic for sure but also just rounding the corner into maturity. And delicious too. Wish I had more. And the obvious conclusion is sit on them for several years until they are ready. Great stuff here.
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12/27/2013 - KenPlace wrote: 88 Points
Quite oaky. Good color, nose, but most fruit is overwhelmed by the oak. A good bottle of wine, but not my style
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11/26/2013 - Chainthroer wrote: 92 Points
It now has a golding-yellow color. The wine seems more open than in prior tastings. I decanted the wine and waited for it to get to warm up to about 65 degrees from the cellar temperature. Aromas and flavors of creme brulee, baked apple, poached pear, honey, minerals and vanillin oak. Graceful and somewhat creamy in the mouth. Rich and intense fruit. Excellent acid and structure. A long and extended finish that has some oak on it. A nice pairing with Paiche fish.
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10/20/2013 - bjschmitt wrote: 88 Points
With Apple/Onion/Brie soup.
Nice straw color to the eye,.
Decent but not perfumed nose, a bit of peach.
Medium weight - but this did not go at all well with the food we had. Bad choice on my part.
After dinner we finished the bottle, and it was much nicer.
I know the community is showing this as a 90+ wine (Outstanding). Compared to the best chardonnays I've had, I would call this a very good wine - but I think I need to start censoring my score inflation a bit - so I call it 88. Very good - certainly. Outstanding? don't think so.
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9/29/2013 - KevinS wrote: 91 Points
Another vote for super-tight. I get baked apple and some tropical notes, but not as much nuance or complexity as I would like. Where the class and pedigree really show up for me is in the incredible length -- finish just goes on and on...
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9/15/2013 - Chainthroer wrote: 92 Points
Just about the same as when last tasted some 20 months ago wherein I indicated: “Aromas of vanillin (not overly toasty or charred), baked apple, pineapple, butter, minerals. It might have a somewhat more vanillin concentration than the "07 or"08, but not absurdly so. Viscous in the mouth, with the same flavors as the nose. A long and concentrated finish. I think this is a very nice wine, but at this stage, this "Bee Block" does not seem quite as seductive as either the '07 or '08.” Today, the wine still seems somewhat closed in, as far as the flavors. In the mouth, however, the fruit is a little more intense than last time. Hopefully, it will at some point break out of its dumb stage and give us what we’re all expecting. In any case, it’s a pretty good wine to appreciate now and pairs quite well with crab cakes. Score 92-93.
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8/4/2013 - lvjohn Likes this wine: 92 Points
I must agree with other recent posters, this wine is still pretty tight. It is quite enjoyable none the less. Don't serve it cold. It didn't taste like much of anything. After some warming and opening, it displayed the beauties of Varner with excellent balance, citrus and apple notes, and great mouth feel.
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6/2/2013 - ggormezano Likes this wine: 92 Points
Still tight. Opened up after 1.5 hours. Would wait another 1-2 years to drink more.
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5/13/2013 - smphelps wrote: 90 Points
The color of two week old hay. Distinctly oaked in a creamy, rich style. Apples and ripe pears for balance, but more cream, caramel, butter, and toast than bright fruits. Still well done in this style, and projects to age gracefully.
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2/1/2013 - Tim Heaton wrote:
Slow-O 2 hours. Medium straw, aromas run the gamut from lemon creme to orange liqueur. Medium bodied, with great focus and purity. A really lovely wine, and for my palate, everything I want in (oaked) Cali Chardonnay. Acids and overall structure are rather brilliant. Still a few years from peak. highly recommended, 14,7% abv, drink thru 2020
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1/22/2013 - Dental Jay wrote: 92 Points
Love this wine.
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12/24/2012 - WineCPA Likes this wine: 92 Points
Big buttery and creamy on the palate. Hints of lemon. Lots of oak. Not sure it's a great QPR, but still a great example of a big California Chard. Very Good!
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12/24/2012 - Doblk wrote: 89 Points
Lemon cream. Pears. Some minerals. Very good wine with a lot of complexity, but a bit oakier than I like.
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9/1/2012 - 560 B&W wrote: 91 Points
Sep 1, 2012
Showed more oak than the amphitheater.
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7/9/2012 - BVal wrote: 92 Points
Pale yellow. Wonderful nose of peach, almond, a little caramel and a distinct smokiness that I found very appealing. Love the comment below of "pie crust palate;" that just about sums it up perfectly. Nice structure and good lengthy finish. Some minerals there too. I would disagree with those who found this overly oaky-- I thought the oak level was about right.
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6/17/2012 - thelostverse wrote: 93 Points
Peach and honey notes. Good acidity with lengthy finish.
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6/9/2012 - yossarian.livez wrote: 87 Points
Very nice, though the most introverted of the three Varner Chards. Nice nose. Maybe a bit closed, and enough acidity to wait. The oak frame is a bit noticable, but this isn't your bombastic Napa Chard. Light on it's feet, more buttered popcorn than brown butter and a bit less voluminous than Amphitheater.
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5/24/2012 - Frijole wrote:
medium gold, lots of clarity, silvery hue
Nose: green apple, thyme, honey, limestone, salt, touch citrus
Pal: green apple, musk, honey, thyme, limestone, citrus, salt, white pepper, oak, complex
Feel: savory, medium/full
Finish: long
T9C8
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5/10/2012 - moods wrote: 90 Points
Private Tasting: Best of the US (Waterford Wine, Milwaukee): You know you're in a proper tasting event when a $45 white wine is used as a 'palate cleanser' at the end of a flight of fine pinots! But this positioning doesn't do this wine enough justice. Fantastic nutty aromas, touch of butter. Weighty palate with a creamy texture. Minerality and zippy acidity. Lovely length. Thoroughly enjoyable, well made chardonnay.
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4/28/2012 - Stevesrisk wrote: 90 Points
Pale straw color, appaears filtered clear, nose os clean, slightly citrusy. Light oak, malo melow. Delicious.
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3/11/2012 - Silveradoup wrote: 93 Points
Great
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2/2/2012 - Silveradoup wrote: 93 Points
Buy a bunch of this, at the price point the quality is out of this world!
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1/27/2012 - Pointchaser wrote: 92 Points
Light on its feet yet carrying inner density, almost oily in texture, inititially shows tropical fruit and aroma, then the oak provides roundness and warmth followed by some intriguing mid-palate bitterness, then the oily liquified perfumed essence on the finish. A notch or two beneath the 2008 but still a compelling Chardonnay.
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1/22/2012 - Chainthroer wrote: 92 Points
A pale yellow color. Aromas of vanillin (not overly toasty or charred), baked apple, pineapple, butter, minerals. It might have a somewhat more vanillin concentration than the "07 or"08, but not absurdly so. Viscous in the mouth, with the same flavors as the nose. A long and concentrated finish. I think this is a very nice wine, but at this stage, this "Bee Block" does not seem quite as seductive as either the '07 or '08. But, this could easily change with time. Paired nicely with baked Rosey chicken.
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1/12/2012 - SanFranSoxFan04 wrote: 88 Points
2009 California Chardonnays (Bi-weekly group blind tasting at Tom's House): Blind tasting of 8 2009 California Chardonnays. Group's #1, my #4.
Mineral nose at first but gave way to caramel aromas.
Oak, vanilla and floral flavors. Not bad.
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12/15/2011 - mjf@ulkner wrote: 89 Points
A little surprised at the poor reviews of this wine. Didn't get the overoaked impression from this. Ripe, and tropical, but generally well balanced. My only negative was that this was difficult to peg from a varietal standpoint- it would be tough to get chardonnay in a blind tasting
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12/7/2011 - AIB wrote: 82 Points
Very oak laden. Not worth the price - tehre are many better Chardonnays out there atthe price point or less.
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11/23/2011 - nzinkgraf wrote:
The richer of a Varner Chard trio, some caramel and butterscotch backed with clean and rich fruit, taut acid.
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11/23/2011 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
To my palate the biggest of the Varner trio.
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9/24/2011 - Uglypinga wrote:
potent nose of pineapple oak and stone fruits. some baking spices as well. the palate has pineapple up front w some creamy oak that does not overwhelm the fruit. succulent finish. delicious wine that needs a little time for the oak to relax.
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7/22/2011 - ews3 wrote: 73 Points
Blind White Throwdown (Roberts House, Philadelphia PA): Tasted blind. This was my first time tasting a Varner wine. After reading reviews, I expeted to enjoy this and nearly ordered a mixed case direct -- luckily, I bought a single bottle to try first from a retailer. This did not have an apparent flaw, but I wish it did so I would have something to blame. It smelled like a urinal... maybe a fairly fresh urinal cake, but still -- it was an offputting mix of fake fruit and chemical. palate was tough to draw anything out of other than sour fruit and a little bit of oak that tasted a little spoofed. finish was bitter and short. Picked as a Chardonnay, but as a Beaujolais Blanc I had thrown in. I was so shocked when we revealed that I revisited it immediately. Sadly, even non-blind and wanting to like it, I did not find this to be a good bottle. Major disappointment.
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7/22/2011 - jrobs7777 wrote: 80 Points
Blind White Throwdown (Our House (2033 Brandywine St., Philadelphia)): Lemon on the nose. Pale color. Too sweet and flabby on the palate. No structure. Too much oak and too much heat. After some time in the glass, this improved, actually. Barely passable right now. Went from upper 70s to 80. It may become a passable wine in a few years. Maybe.
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7/16/2011 - tequilajake wrote: 85 Points
Had at a tasting (non-blind) and was much less over the top than some but still had the buttered popcorn/oak contingent to it that wasn't as well integrated as in the 2008. I still found this wine to be enjoyable but I guess after the '08 Bee Block I was just expecting a bit more.
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