This has integrated nicely since my last go in 2019. Terrific complexity. Getting closer to a lean bodied feel. A bit rough at the finish but I'm starting to expect that with these wines. The expression trumps the build most often. This vintage doesn't quite have the heft for a real long sleep in my estimation. One to drink while the denser vintages age. These wines can be quite compelling.
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Medium gold. A lovely mature wine with a shy nose that nonetheless shows beautiiful tones of dried fig and sourdough toast. Rich salty fig and dried apricot fruit on the palate supporting a prominent winding of acid. Very long sinuous finish. What a lovely wine moving into wise old age.
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4th bottle of 6, and I'm rating this one lower than one a year ago. This may be more about me and my mouth/nose on a given night than bottle variation and a year of extra cellaring. Who knows? It's still a lovely wine, now with a mix between its original, bright, rich Chardonnay flavors and oxidative notes. I find this interim period a bit awkward. I've had older bottles of Mt. Eden that were more mellow and smooth, and despite their greater age, less oxidative. I'm curious whether my remaining two bottles will have a second peak. This was a terrific wine in its youthful primary phase. It's now a gangly teenager that might mature into a proud adult. Time will tell. This bottle was very good, but not truly great. I encourage people to drink it now with something rich that stands up to it, like sheep cheese or (my choice tonight) fried chicken sandwich.
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Not a detailed note because I had this at my 65th birthday party. But I thought the nose was a little shy, the palate rich with figs and dried apricots, with some nutty notes. Seemed to be in a bit of a retiring phase.
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Exceptional American Chardonnay from high altitude Santa Cruz Mtn vineyards. Rich golden yellow color. Vibrant and complex. Flavor profile has benefitted from 10 years but can surely go another 5+. Excited to see how my other bottles evolve.
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Aromas figs, mastic, and spice bazaar on the nose. Rich lovely sweet and sour fruit on the palate with a nice bitter lift at the back. Smooth muscularity, great power.
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Decanted a hour and a half before tasting. Rich dark golden yellow initially but actually got lighter, younger looking and tasting with air over several hours. Tastes and looks its decade of age, but still rather magnificent. Classic, big rich chard, but perfectly balanced with acidity, oak influence, fruit and minerality all strutting their stuff in tandem. Finish is very long and shows flinty minerals and lemon. Excellent with my Lobster, Fennel Risotto topped with Apollo Barouni Olive Oli and shaved white truffles, though frankly surpassed in the pairing by 2004 Domaine Yves Cuilleron Condrieu Les Chaillets. Nonetheless this was stunning by itself as well.
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Gorgeous wine. Beautiful light golden yellow color. Superb richness. Still bright with acidity. Very complex, long and layered. Lemon, white peach, cardamom, white flowers, honeysuckle, minerals and a touch of melon all roll on the nose and palate. Simply perfect with swordfish.
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Drinkable but not enjoyable. Did not finish bottle. Perhaps oxidated? Since that is unknown, decided to not rate. Bummer as the bottle was $60. We have two of the highly rated 2011s. I’ll try soon to see if they are good.
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Slightly sherried nose of pineapple, caramelized sweet pastry, and pecans. Rich and full on the palate with deep penetrating fruit, a delicate framing of acid, salty pineapple preserves at the back moving into a very long awakening finish. The clearest example I have tasted yet of the effect of age on a Chardonnay.
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Herbed lemon oil. Sweet fruited. Fat in the midpalate. Not very seamless. This does seem to pick up some complexity with air. There are hints that remind be of a Burg and some of Ca. In some ways the fruit came off as maybe being quite ripe that year but then it had that sort of sulphur note that makes me think of the wood on White Burgundy. My overall impression is that this might have been better closer to release. It's anything but elegant right now.
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Roasted pineapple, preserved lemon, incense, a hint of steel on the nose, with a whisper of oak. Full bodied on the palate with unctuous fruit, lovely sweet acid back notes, broad, glowing and precise, moving into a very long energizing finish. Mature and balanced; looking forward to how it evolves as it ages further. 50 + 17 + 18 + 8 = 93.
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Decanted 1 hour. Brilliant deep yellow/gold. Rich aromatics start with preserved lemons, some ginger, roasted nuts--all fresh and vibrant. On the palate, this wine is beautifully textured--dense without being heavy--as the complex flavors start with citrus then ripe stone fruit, all lifted by vibrant acidity. The components are all playing well together and the finish is endless but humble. This is a classic but relatively precocious vintage. 94 pts. Drink now through 2022.
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Really distinctive nose. Has a dense, nutty thing that I really like. This is somewhat lithe on the palate but still has nice depth and concentration. It has more of that dense, nuttiness on the palate on a very light, med- body. Pretty nice finish.
A very cool wine that would go well with a variety of food.
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This wine may just be a bit old, but I do find this to be too rich and fat for my tastes. Not a bad wine, but just not my style. For what it is, it is well made. I plan to drink up soon.
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Showed really nice honeyed notes from 8 years of good aging. Hints of minerality, apricot, olive oil and a slight hint of honey butter. Sad to see the last of these go, but that's what's great about wine.
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Reading some previous notes about wine being too sweet and being ripe I chilled the bottle well and enjoyed this bottle, a bit more crisp and acidic then what I would have expected. Lots of clean fruit, as it warmed up a bit more vanilla tones. A good California chard.
This is ok, but not great; the nose showed loads of tropical fruits (pineapple, mango) ripe apple, hints of floral notes, and a bit of wood spice. The palate is ripe, delivers loads of fruit, and has nice acidity with the wood well in check. However it seems almost excessively ripe to me and I'd prefer some other notes to accent the fruit. I will likely age my other bottle for several more years.
Excellent showing at last night's wine group dinner. Med deep yellow in color. Vanilla on the nose. Lush and full flavored. I have long loved Mount Eden chards and this has a definite resemblance to previous bottling and vintages.
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Aromas of lemon rind, white flowers, and toasty oak. Full wide body of rich fruit on the palate with crisp acid backing, bitter lemon lift at the back into a ringing acid finish. Essence of California. 50 + 17 + 17 + 8 = 92.
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One of the better chards I've enjoyed in the past 2-3 yrs. Brilliant medium gold, nose of stone fruits w/subtle oak shadings, intense mid palate of hard dried apricots spice notes and w/enough acid to prolong the finish. May not have peaked with several years left, if properly stored.
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I tasted this over the course of dinner, about 2 hours. The oak seemed present here initially, but not through vanilla or coconut, but instead with a spicy, glossy, toasty note and texture it seemed to impart to the wine. Alongside these notes, there was very solid acidity and pear. Overall, the wine just was a bit aggressive and heavier for me. I will say with air that this did pick up some more mineral tones, less oak imprint but nothing to retaste the following day so I will leave my note as written.
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From magnum, medium golden yellow, with a rich nose of white stone fruit, honeysuckle, pear, lemon, butter and a kiss of oak/ vanilla. Luscious mouth feel, both bright and chewy. Flavors reflect the nose and add some honey and minerals. Long finish. So good now but better in 10 years in this format.
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Nice win, not my preferred style of Chardonnay. Oak and Malo comes through on the nose and the palate. Does have really good acid to round out the wine a bit but leans more California chard versus white burgundy which I tend to prefer. Still, a very nice wine and I'd drink this again
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Double decanted an hour before drinking. Medium golden yellow color. Very powerful nose with a touch of oak that diminished with air time, white peach, nectarine, honeysuckle and a mineral undertone. Very rich, chewy mouthfeel. Palate dominated by white peach and honeysuckle, some butter in the mid-palate with a tinge of lemon on the finish. Rich long finish. Both powerful and elegant at the same time!! This wine needs the air and a temperature just above cellar temp to sing!
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Two years later and I think the wine is slightly less pleasing. Still a great one though. Creamy and quite a bit of minerality. Not shy on alcohol or oak. I think this one never really came together the way ME wines do. 2009 and 2011 were surprisingly more consistent. I would drink soon.
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Benefited greatly from 30 minutes of decanting, becoming smoother and opening up considerably. Still plenty of life at this point. Notes of apricot, honeysuckle, and sufficient acidity.
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Deep yellow/gold color. Honeysuckle I the nose. Moderate minerality on the palate. Crisp finish. Benefited from some time. Quite nice with clams and pasta.
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Decanted, dark yellow. Beautiful wine and in balance. Very much Californian, but not over the top. Coats the mouth and lingers on the finish. Our first and only bottle. Have the 2011 in the cellar, which I'm told is even better. Hard to believe. Drink now or hold. EXCELLENT.
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On the nose, sulfur/rubber notes overwhelmed upon opening. Took about 20 minutes of breathing to have those blown off. In hindsight, should have decanted for 30 minutes or so as the wine gained considerably more flesh and balance with air. On the palate, notes of baked apricot and pear; significantly less acidity than the 2011 vintage (at least as of 2015). Overall, the 2011 bottling appears to be more impressive than the 2010.
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Typical deep yellow/gold. Gorgeous nose of baked lemon, smoked hazelnuts and a dash of sexy oak. Rich and viscous on the palate with layers of citrus and ripe peach flavors with good grip and acidity. Exceptionally harmonious and well balanced, the long, ripe finish just begs you to refill your glass. Drink now through 2020.
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Golden hue in the glass. Aromas of granny smith apple, brioche and spice. Unctuous and creamy on the palate with plenty of balanced acidity that leads to a clean steely finish. Has plenty of life left, drink now-2022
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$50 at Total Wine. Mark's Duck House, birthday lunch. Good bottle, better than I was expecting, but it was up against The Judge, Peter Michael Belle Cote and Aubert Carneros Chardonnays.
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Beautiful canary yellow with good clarity. Served at 50 degree F and the summer fruits were lifted from glass perfectly. Soft lemon, peach, light pineapple and melon. The oak is pretty dominate but works well with the fruits.
Creamy on the palate with lemon that has a tad more zing to it. Peach and melon round out the fruits but lets not forget about that oak... This is a creamy buttery Chardonnay and very well made.
I believe the 2010 is drinking very well and not sure I would hold on much past 3 or 4 more years.... Why would you, its good now!
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Deep golden yellow. Rich aroma of lemon curd, apricots, sea air, sun warmed rocks. On the palate a glowing dose of lemon peach fruit that spreads to all corners in an expanding acid frame, with a long, long bitter lemon rind finish. A lovely rich and elegant wine. 55+14+17+9.
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From memory: Decanted for just over an hour before tasting. Medium golden. Citrus fruit, yellow apples and plums, crushed rocks, floral perfume, vanilla-toffee and spicy oak on the nose and palate. Rich, dense, firmly structured and long – all in all a very solid effort. Having said that, the oak is still quite prominent – especially on the nose – which may well be an issue for some. Although I personally find this wine hard to resist even today, there’s enough stuffing here for at least another four to five years of favourable development, during which time the oak should have settled down enough to satisfy even the most die-hard of sceptics (93-94 points).
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Worldwide Whites (Edina Country Club, MN): Needs some time in the cellar and should improve. Lemon, mineral, oak and spices. Medium plus finish. A little off balance and hopefully the oak will subside. Hold till 2017.
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Worldwide Whites (Edina, MN): Medium gold color. PNP, drank 2 glasses over 90 minutes. Lovely nose that offers up toasted oak, vanilla, lemon, white flowers, and great richness. The palate delivers what the nose promises, full body, toasty, lemon, creamy texture, floral, apple pie, fig. The finish is long and caressing. Very suave and sophisticate. Young and will get even better.93+(+)pts. My WOTN, by a razor thin margin.
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Excellent, exotic, and unique wine; however, at this stage it's too young. It seems a tad big and a little messy. But there is a lot going on here and I think in a year or two it will be very fine.
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I know I should have waited before opening this bottle. However, after getting a glowing recommendation from the salesmen who sold this bottle to me (who had just drank a bottle the week before), I decided to try it sooner than later.
And I am very glad I did - this wine is already delicious right now, and may further improve. Medium-yellow out of the bottle. The nose, although not very expressive, was quite nice with hints of pear and vanilla. But this wine shined in the mouth - I don't recall having a chardonnay where the fruit seemed to be so delicious! Add a really long finish, and that's why it deserves a 94 pts. grade, with the potential of reaching 95 pts.
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Warm toast and marmalade aromas, citrus flavors with honeyed overtones, crisp acid in the lingering finish. Delicious, inviting, balanced, and full of verve.
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4/14/2024 - WetRock wrote:
This has integrated nicely since my last go in 2019. Terrific complexity. Getting closer to a lean bodied feel. A bit rough at the finish but I'm starting to expect that with these wines. The expression trumps the build most often. This vintage doesn't quite have the heft for a real long sleep in my estimation. One to drink while the denser vintages age. These wines can be quite compelling.
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9/4/2022 - JJKinch wrote: 92 Points
Nice fruit- apricot, slight peach, lime, orange - nice citrus, nice floral, honeysuckle, good acidity. Bright. Really enjoyable.
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7/20/2022 - wgmccallum Likes this wine: 95 Points
Medium gold. A lovely mature wine with a shy nose that nonetheless shows beautiiful tones of dried fig and sourdough toast. Rich salty fig and dried apricot fruit on the palate supporting a prominent winding of acid. Very long sinuous finish. What a lovely wine moving into wise old age.
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3/24/2022 - JLaRoche Likes this wine: 96 Points
One of the best chardonnays we have had as it has lovely acidity with hint of salinity balanced with citrus and a hint of spice. Very complex.
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12/1/2021 - bonedoc wrote: 96 Points
this was absolutely spectacular. some of these are oxidized, this was fresh and vibrant... the perfect balance of cali fruit and acid. bravo!!
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11/9/2021 - Montesquieu Likes this wine: 94 Points
Guess my last bottle was off. This was big, rich, smooth, and wore its age to perfection. In a great place.
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10/22/2021 - Montesquieu Likes this wine: 92 Points
4th bottle of 6, and I'm rating this one lower than one a year ago. This may be more about me and my mouth/nose on a given night than bottle variation and a year of extra cellaring. Who knows? It's still a lovely wine, now with a mix between its original, bright, rich Chardonnay flavors and oxidative notes. I find this interim period a bit awkward. I've had older bottles of Mt. Eden that were more mellow and smooth, and despite their greater age, less oxidative. I'm curious whether my remaining two bottles will have a second peak. This was a terrific wine in its youthful primary phase. It's now a gangly teenager that might mature into a proud adult. Time will tell. This bottle was very good, but not truly great. I encourage people to drink it now with something rich that stands up to it, like sheep cheese or (my choice tonight) fried chicken sandwich.
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9/5/2021 - wgmccallum Likes this wine: 92 Points
Not a detailed note because I had this at my 65th birthday party. But I thought the nose was a little shy, the palate rich with figs and dried apricots, with some nutty notes. Seemed to be in a bit of a retiring phase.
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9/4/2021 - bonedoc wrote:
Still going strong… a touch of oxidation. 93
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12/31/2020 - Montesquieu Likes this wine: 95 Points
Exceptional American Chardonnay from high altitude Santa Cruz Mtn vineyards. Rich golden yellow color. Vibrant and complex. Flavor profile has benefitted from 10 years but can surely go another 5+. Excited to see how my other bottles evolve.
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12/29/2020 - wgmccallum Likes this wine: 93 Points
Aromas figs, mastic, and spice bazaar on the nose. Rich lovely sweet and sour fruit on the palate with a nice bitter lift at the back. Smooth muscularity, great power.
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11/13/2020 - oldwines Likes this wine: 95 Points
Decanted a hour and a half before tasting. Rich dark golden yellow initially but actually got lighter, younger looking and tasting with air over several hours. Tastes and looks its decade of age, but still rather magnificent. Classic, big rich chard, but perfectly balanced with acidity, oak influence, fruit and minerality all strutting their stuff in tandem. Finish is very long and shows flinty minerals and lemon. Excellent with my Lobster, Fennel Risotto topped with Apollo Barouni Olive Oli and shaved white truffles, though frankly surpassed in the pairing by 2004 Domaine Yves Cuilleron Condrieu Les Chaillets. Nonetheless this was stunning by itself as well.
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11/5/2020 - oldwines Likes this wine: 95 Points
Gorgeous wine. Beautiful light golden yellow color. Superb richness. Still bright with acidity. Very complex, long and layered. Lemon, white peach, cardamom, white flowers, honeysuckle, minerals and a touch of melon all roll on the nose and palate. Simply perfect with swordfish.
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6/5/2020 - bonedoc wrote:
Drank well, good fruit, acid, and no oxidation.
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5/11/2020 - wgmccallum Likes this wine: 91 Points
Reserved mineral nose laced with notes of preserved lemon and a hint of reduction, rich round fruit on the palate with impeccable acid balance.
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3/14/2020 - Doc90 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Fresh nose of Florida oranges, Meyer lemon, grapefruit, soft cream. Excellent acidity and harmony. Meyer lemon palate with hints of eggnog.
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12/2/2019 - juneau bob wrote:
Lovely mineral notes and just a hint of oak. This is very good.
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10/29/2019 - sfbikeguy wrote: flawed
Drinkable but not enjoyable. Did not finish bottle. Perhaps oxidated? Since that is unknown, decided to not rate. Bummer as the bottle was $60. We have two of the highly rated 2011s. I’ll try soon to see if they are good.
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8/22/2019 - beatles wrote: 93 Points
A golden hue, mature wine - but not oxidized, just rounded and creamy, tich, yet balanced. No need to keep this in a perfect spot.
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7/27/2019 - wgmccallum Likes this wine: 95 Points
Slightly sherried nose of pineapple, caramelized sweet pastry, and pecans. Rich and full on the palate with deep penetrating fruit, a delicate framing of acid, salty pineapple preserves at the back moving into a very long awakening finish. The clearest example I have tasted yet of the effect of age on a Chardonnay.
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5/16/2019 - WetRock wrote:
Herbed lemon oil. Sweet fruited. Fat in the midpalate. Not very seamless. This does seem to pick up some complexity with air. There are hints that remind be of a Burg and some of Ca. In some ways the fruit came off as maybe being quite ripe that year but then it had that sort of sulphur note that makes me think of the wood on White Burgundy. My overall impression is that this might have been better closer to release. It's anything but elegant right now.
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5/12/2019 - bonedoc wrote: 93 Points
Delicious, decidedly Burgundian, as good on day 2.
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12/25/2018 - oropeza Likes this wine:
Deep yellow in the glass. Floral, apple up front with orange oil and earl grey tea midflight before finishing with good acidity.
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11/19/2018 - RonniePiemonte wrote: 94 Points
In a great place right now. Bottle 1004 of 23,616
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7/31/2018 - wgmccallum Likes this wine: 93 Points
Roasted pineapple, preserved lemon, incense, a hint of steel on the nose, with a whisper of oak. Full bodied on the palate with unctuous fruit, lovely sweet acid back notes, broad, glowing and precise, moving into a very long energizing finish. Mature and balanced; looking forward to how it evolves as it ages further. 50 + 17 + 18 + 8 = 93.
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6/22/2018 - jfagan Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted 1 hour. Brilliant deep yellow/gold. Rich aromatics start with preserved lemons, some ginger, roasted nuts--all fresh and vibrant. On the palate, this wine is beautifully textured--dense without being heavy--as the complex flavors start with citrus then ripe stone fruit, all lifted by vibrant acidity. The components are all playing well together and the finish is endless but humble. This is a classic but relatively precocious vintage. 94 pts. Drink now through 2022.
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5/8/2018 - christyler Likes this wine: 93 Points
Really distinctive nose. Has a dense, nutty thing that I really like. This is somewhat lithe on the palate but still has nice depth and concentration. It has more of that dense, nuttiness on the palate on a very light, med- body. Pretty nice finish.
A very cool wine that would go well with a variety of food.
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4/10/2018 - acidqueen wrote: 90 Points
This wine may just be a bit old, but I do find this to be too rich and fat for my tastes. Not a bad wine, but just not my style. For what it is, it is well made. I plan to drink up soon.
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4/8/2018 - cincybt Likes this wine: 93 Points
Showed really nice honeyed notes from 8 years of good aging. Hints of minerality, apricot, olive oil and a slight hint of honey butter. Sad to see the last of these go, but that's what's great about wine.
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3/14/2018 - cweiner Likes this wine: 92 Points
Last one- still has a few years left and would purchase more.
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2/20/2018 - cweiner Likes this wine: 90 Points
This bottle seems past its peak; different from the others in this purchase to date.
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2/17/2018 - cweiner Likes this wine: 92 Points
Reliable vineyard for chardonnay year after year.
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12/31/2017 - Golf_Wine Likes this wine: 90 Points
Reading some previous notes about wine being too sweet and being ripe I chilled the bottle well and enjoyed this bottle, a bit more crisp and acidic then what I would have expected. Lots of clean fruit, as it warmed up a bit more vanilla tones. A good California chard.
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10/11/2017 - jnewman77 wrote:
This is ok, but not great; the nose showed loads of tropical fruits (pineapple, mango) ripe apple, hints of floral notes, and a bit of wood spice. The palate is ripe, delivers loads of fruit, and has nice acidity with the wood well in check. However it seems almost excessively ripe to me and I'd prefer some other notes to accent the fruit. I will likely age my other bottle for several more years.
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10/10/2017 - mouton45 wrote: 92 Points
Excellent showing at last night's wine group dinner. Med deep yellow in color. Vanilla on the nose. Lush and full flavored. I have long loved Mount Eden chards and this has a definite resemblance to previous bottling and vintages.
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8/6/2017 - wgmccallum Likes this wine: 92 Points
Aromas of lemon rind, white flowers, and toasty oak. Full wide body of rich fruit on the palate with crisp acid backing, bitter lemon lift at the back into a ringing acid finish. Essence of California. 50 + 17 + 17 + 8 = 92.
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5/31/2017 - MoreWinePlease wrote: 94 Points
One of the better chards I've enjoyed in the past 2-3 yrs. Brilliant medium gold, nose of stone fruits w/subtle oak shadings, intense mid palate of hard dried apricots spice notes and w/enough acid to prolong the finish. May not have peaked with several years left, if properly stored.
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5/1/2017 - Frank Murray III wrote:
I tasted this over the course of dinner, about 2 hours. The oak seemed present here initially, but not through vanilla or coconut, but instead with a spicy, glossy, toasty note and texture it seemed to impart to the wine. Alongside these notes, there was very solid acidity and pear. Overall, the wine just was a bit aggressive and heavier for me. I will say with air that this did pick up some more mineral tones, less oak imprint but nothing to retaste the following day so I will leave my note as written.
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4/8/2017 - bonedoc wrote: 92 Points
Just coming into my preferred drinking window for this wine,
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12/26/2016 - oldwines Likes this wine: 95 Points
From magnum, medium golden yellow, with a rich nose of white stone fruit, honeysuckle, pear, lemon, butter and a kiss of oak/ vanilla. Luscious mouth feel, both bright and chewy. Flavors reflect the nose and add some honey and minerals. Long finish. So good now but better in 10 years in this format.
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12/11/2016 - bonedoc wrote:
All 2010's, all very good, around 92/93, similar in style and quality, no clear winner.
#1- Varner amphitheater
#2- Varner home
#3- mt Eden estate
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11/24/2016 - pjbeans wrote: 90 Points
Nice win, not my preferred style of Chardonnay. Oak and Malo comes through on the nose and the palate. Does have really good acid to round out the wine a bit but leans more California chard versus white burgundy which I tend to prefer. Still, a very nice wine and I'd drink this again
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11/22/2016 - tb76 wrote: 91 Points
Yellow gold, white peach, pineapple, apple, excellent mouthfeel, well structured, crisp, long finish. Drinking well now.
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9/25/2016 - acheng wrote: 90 Points
Drinking really well now. Oak is there but serve as nice support to the Chardonnay fruit and minerality.
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8/12/2016 - oldwines Likes this wine: 96 Points
Double decanted an hour before drinking. Medium golden yellow color. Very powerful nose with a touch of oak that diminished with air time, white peach, nectarine, honeysuckle and a mineral undertone. Very rich, chewy mouthfeel. Palate dominated by white peach and honeysuckle, some butter in the mid-palate with a tinge of lemon on the finish. Rich long finish. Both powerful and elegant at the same time!! This wine needs the air and a temperature just above cellar temp to sing!
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7/3/2016 - jeffreylubowski Likes this wine: 90 Points
Two years later and I think the wine is slightly less pleasing. Still a great one though. Creamy and quite a bit of minerality. Not shy on alcohol or oak. I think this one never really came together the way ME wines do. 2009 and 2011 were surprisingly more consistent. I would drink soon.
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2/22/2016 - SteveVermeer wrote: 90 Points
Ready to drink, a little round for my taste.
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1/24/2016 - Slaz Likes this wine: 92 Points
Benefited greatly from 30 minutes of decanting, becoming smoother and opening up considerably. Still plenty of life at this point. Notes of apricot, honeysuckle, and sufficient acidity.
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1/23/2016 - ben_white Likes this wine: 91 Points
Deep yellow/gold color. Honeysuckle I the nose. Moderate minerality on the palate. Crisp finish. Benefited from some time. Quite nice with clams and pasta.
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1/7/2016 - bonedoc wrote: 90 Points
Subpar showing, buttery, oaky not enough acid.. which is out of character for this wine. Try again next bottle.
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1/3/2016 - Pebben wrote: 93 Points
See previous note. Not much to add – very New World, but also very well made and in my opinion absolutely delicious.
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12/13/2015 - bonedoc wrote: 91 Points
All 2010's:
Ramey Hyde: quite mellow at this stage, fruit not as intense, crystalline mineral long finish with some salinity. 92
Kistler Hyde: better fruit than Ramey, but less complex and shorter finish. 92
Chasseur Lorenzo: flat, fruit and finish inferior to the other wines, leesy character on the palate. 89
Mt. Eden Estate: restrained in style, good cut and acidity, outshined by the more fruit forward wines. Not surprising considering the house style. 91
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11/14/2015 - BigTex22 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted, dark yellow. Beautiful wine and in balance. Very much Californian, but not over the top. Coats the mouth and lingers on the finish. Our first and only bottle. Have the 2011 in the cellar, which I'm told is even better. Hard to believe. Drink now or hold. EXCELLENT.
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11/1/2015 - Slaz Likes this wine: 92 Points
On the nose, sulfur/rubber notes overwhelmed upon opening. Took about 20 minutes of breathing to have those blown off. In hindsight, should have decanted for 30 minutes or so as the wine gained considerably more flesh and balance with air. On the palate, notes of baked apricot and pear; significantly less acidity than the 2011 vintage (at least as of 2015). Overall, the 2011 bottling appears to be more impressive than the 2010.
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9/20/2015 - Tetherton Likes this wine: 92 Points
A wonderful Chardonnay - a lush wine that had a hint of oak. Filled with gentle fruit - with some citrus and melon flavors.
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6/14/2015 - jfagan Likes this wine: 95 Points
Typical deep yellow/gold. Gorgeous nose of baked lemon, smoked hazelnuts and a dash of sexy oak. Rich and viscous on the palate with layers of citrus and ripe peach flavors with good grip and acidity. Exceptionally harmonious and well balanced, the long, ripe finish just begs you to refill your glass. Drink now through 2020.
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5/4/2015 - juicejammer Likes this wine: 93 Points
Golden hue in the glass. Aromas of granny smith apple, brioche and spice. Unctuous and creamy on the palate with plenty of balanced acidity that leads to a clean steely finish. Has plenty of life left, drink now-2022
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3/3/2015 - JonnyG Likes this wine: 90 Points
Lemon, white flowers, some real depth but still a bit more angular in style than I prefer.
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2/22/2015 - BinVA Likes this wine: 92 Points
$50 at Total Wine. Mark's Duck House, birthday lunch. Good bottle, better than I was expecting, but it was up against The Judge, Peter Michael Belle Cote and Aubert Carneros Chardonnays.
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1/11/2015 - Seafoam Manor wrote: flawed
Corked, not undrinkably so, but the flavors were noticeably muted.
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12/12/2014 - brouigu1 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Beautiful canary yellow with good clarity. Served at 50 degree F and the summer fruits were lifted from glass perfectly. Soft lemon, peach, light pineapple and melon. The oak is pretty dominate but works well with the fruits.
Creamy on the palate with lemon that has a tad more zing to it. Peach and melon round out the fruits but lets not forget about that oak... This is a creamy buttery Chardonnay and very well made.
I believe the 2010 is drinking very well and not sure I would hold on much past 3 or 4 more years.... Why would you, its good now!
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10/16/2014 - wgmccallum Likes this wine: 95 Points
Deep golden yellow. Rich aroma of lemon curd, apricots, sea air, sun warmed rocks. On the palate a glowing dose of lemon peach fruit that spreads to all corners in an expanding acid frame, with a long, long bitter lemon rind finish. A lovely rich and elegant wine. 55+14+17+9.
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10/15/2014 - patsox wrote: 93 Points
Perfectly balance, elegant and delicious. Top chardonnay from a top producer.
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10/5/2014 - Pebben wrote: 93 Points
From memory: Decanted for just over an hour before tasting. Medium golden. Citrus fruit, yellow apples and plums, crushed rocks, floral perfume, vanilla-toffee and spicy oak on the nose and palate. Rich, dense, firmly structured and long – all in all a very solid effort. Having said that, the oak is still quite prominent – especially on the nose – which may well be an issue for some. Although I personally find this wine hard to resist even today, there’s enough stuffing here for at least another four to five years of favourable development, during which time the oak should have settled down enough to satisfy even the most die-hard of sceptics (93-94 points).
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6/30/2014 - 3daywinereview.com wrote: 92 Points
Worldwide Whites (Edina Country Club, MN): Needs some time in the cellar and should improve. Lemon, mineral, oak and spices. Medium plus finish. A little off balance and hopefully the oak will subside. Hold till 2017.
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6/29/2014 - rocknroller wrote: 93 Points
Worldwide Whites (Edina, MN): Medium gold color. PNP, drank 2 glasses over 90 minutes. Lovely nose that offers up toasted oak, vanilla, lemon, white flowers, and great richness. The palate delivers what the nose promises, full body, toasty, lemon, creamy texture, floral, apple pie, fig. The finish is long and caressing. Very suave and sophisticate. Young and will get even better.93+(+)pts. My WOTN, by a razor thin margin.
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6/19/2014 - jeffreylubowski Likes this wine: 93 Points
Excellent, exotic, and unique wine; however, at this stage it's too young. It seems a tad big and a little messy. But there is a lot going on here and I think in a year or two it will be very fine.
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2/13/2014 - br_winelover Likes this wine: 94 Points
I know I should have waited before opening this bottle. However, after getting a glowing recommendation from the salesmen who sold this bottle to me (who had just drank a bottle the week before), I decided to try it sooner than later.
And I am very glad I did - this wine is already delicious right now, and may further improve. Medium-yellow out of the bottle. The nose, although not very expressive, was quite nice with hints of pear and vanilla. But this wine shined in the mouth - I don't recall having a chardonnay where the fruit seemed to be so delicious! Add a really long finish, and that's why it deserves a 94 pts. grade, with the potential of reaching 95 pts.
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11/10/2013 - wgmccallum Likes this wine: 93 Points
Warm toast and marmalade aromas, citrus flavors with honeyed overtones, crisp acid in the lingering finish. Delicious, inviting, balanced, and full of verve.
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10/23/2013 - yofog wrote: 93 Points
Somewhat friendly up front, but the mid palate is tight as a drum and the finish is long and structured. For the cellar, not that it isn't delicious.
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