Great stuff as always; has a fruit density and flavor profile that screams Chardonnay while retaining freshness and purity. Wonderful layered mouthfeel. Well-proportioned, not quite full bodied. Very good.
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This was pretty damn good with lots of apple, pear, butter, nuttiness, acidity and body. On this night it was showing fabulously well. Very good stuff. Held some over for the next night. This time it showed heavy by itself, and it lacked the subtlety of the night before. Still though, very good stuff.
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Shy on the nose but rich, luscious and complex on the palate. Well balanced with pure fruits and fresh acidity. Shows hazelnut, white and tropical fruits and some smoke. Long finish. Hopefully the aromas will open up with more bottle time. (4+11+18+8=91).
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Fat, rich, intense, bursting with flavor, this is ready to go. Loads of nuts and lemon, with an interesting saline texture. Very broad on the palate, this comes close to sagging under its own weight. A succulent seafood stew paired wonderfully.
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This was very good. It had very good body, some mineral, loads of pineapple and a lush mouth feel. It didn’t however, have great length or greatness in its complexity.
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At Tamarine. Consistent with the previous bottle, this is round and rich, yet balanced and alive. Someone else commented that this reminded them of the Seasmoke Gratis Chard; I can definitely see the similarities.
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As before, a truly wonderful wine that puts most others in its price range to shame. This has all the necessary components and its own personality, too.
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14.5% alcohol. santa cruz mountains/ spring ridge vineyard.
ok, i'm a little confused. the bottle also has spring ridge vineyard on the label, but home vineyard seems to be the designate for everything i've read about this wine.
my first tasting of any varner product, and i sure as hell hope it won't be my last. i love the complex nose of cashew, lime, orange, and mango. i find the minerality of the midpalate and finish compelling. there is still some oak. i keep reading about how this appellation isn't oaked, but this is definitely oaked. i'm not complaining, however, because the oily textured mouthfeel and super finish delight. great acidity, too. i'm an instant fan.
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Initially, the nose was overwhelmed by some funky mineral smell. It blew off quickly and evolved nicely in the glass. Lemon peel and definitely tropical fruits. I smelled pina colada and realized it was probably the pineapple flavors that was present. Not a buttery oak bomb but it's not a chardonnay pretending to be a sauvignon blanc either. On the palate, very sweet tropical flavors. Almost reminded me of a riesling but held its chardonnay characteristic. Nice lingering finish, reminding me of a creamy egg custard. Very nice. I'm normally not a big fan of chardonnay but I'm looking forward to my Auberts. One thing I noticed is that when warmed up, the difference between a cheap poorly made chard and a good chard is totally appararent. This is a good chard. Powerful wine that will go well with creamy or sweet food. The only problem was that there was some heat from the alcohol at first but that was receded.
The finish on this wine continues to linger in my mouth. Very nice finish indeed.
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Nose of lemon peel and ripe tropical fruits. Palate is rich and balanced with good lemony acidic structure. Oak is restrained, as is malo-butter. Very refreshing in the mouth, long finish.
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Just drank a bottle at a restaurant with a nice, big lobster dinner for two. Shy and retiring at first, after 30 minutes this started cranking and worked wonderfully with the lobster. Very rich and sweet, nice oily, nutty, and spicy flavors with good balance of acidity and sweetness of fruit. A bit unfocused on the finish perhaps due to the 14.6% alcohol.
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Medium yellow in color. Walks an interesting and fine line between linear and round, racy and lush. Lemon oil, tropical fruit, and a bit of alcohol come through. This latter trait was definitely more prominent as the wine warmed up; as I chilled it, I liked it significantly better. To me does not reach the heights of Aubert, for example, but this is also a fraction of the price.
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What do you call a wine that is simultaneously rich, fresh, and precise? Layered, light, and buttery? Nutty, tropical, and lemony? I call it phenomenal. Varner rocks my socks. I'd happily take more fruit, complexity and cirtric-tangy outro, but I have yet to taste a Chardonnay any better than this.
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This is a really fine Chard. This will be my go to Chard after Aubert. It is relatively thick, but not oppressive on the mouth. Clear and golden. Sees full ML I presume given the mouhtfeel. Great complex mix of tropical and lemon, slight lime citrus notes. Rich, almost oily and layered. Mouth coating. Great finish. Followed through a wide temp range and it performs like an Aubert...I preferred it most in the 60's. Ripe with great acid balance.
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8/10/2017 - TashNYC wrote: 93 Points
We drank all these a number of years ago, and they were delicious! (Cellar clean-up)
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12/25/2014 - DFC wrote: 85 Points
This one is now over-the-hill and raisined...too bad because it was very good in its day!
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11/30/2008 - chetlee wrote: 92 Points
Big oak and buttery feel initially, but the oak faded with time. Followed by aromas of lemon peel and tropical fruit, with good acidity throughout.
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11/17/2008 - Mr T wrote:
Final bottle with the same balance. I only had a taste.
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8/4/2008 - Mr T wrote:
Good stuff, showing both the butter that my in-laws like and some acidity and lemon flavors for me. Aging nicely.
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7/19/2008 - cadamson wrote: 93 Points
wow, this was a treat. Beeswax, lemon, a bit of butter..very balanced, good acid, great with crab claws and truffle butter popcorn.
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7/16/2008 - Mr T wrote:
More mature on the palate w/ initial tastes of wood and some oxidation. Better w/ time as it opened and the wood blew off
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5/24/2008 - silton wrote: 93 Points
Great stuff as always; has a fruit density and flavor profile that screams Chardonnay while retaining freshness and purity. Wonderful layered mouthfeel. Well-proportioned, not quite full bodied. Very good.
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5/3/2008 - SaysNuts wrote: 88 Points
smooth and buttery. nice but not great.
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1/1/2008 - silton wrote: 92 Points
I love the layered texture to this wine, and this is exactly as sweet as I want Chardonnay to ever be.
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12/23/2007 - jvalanti wrote: 92 Points
I am not a chard fan, but this is fabulous. It is rich and crisp at the same time, with an incredible finish. Strong citrus/honey....
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10/19/2007 - mebydef wrote: 93 Points
This was pretty damn good with lots of apple, pear, butter, nuttiness, acidity and body. On this night it was showing fabulously well. Very good stuff. Held some over for the next night. This time it showed heavy by itself, and it lacked the subtlety of the night before. Still though, very good stuff.
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10/15/2007 - ScottS wrote: 92 Points
50+5+13+17+7=92
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8/5/2007 - silton wrote: 92 Points
Nothing new to add. Great wine.
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7/28/2007 - Nanda wrote: 91 Points
Shy on the nose but rich, luscious and complex on the palate. Well balanced with pure fruits and fresh acidity. Shows hazelnut, white and tropical fruits and some smoke. Long finish. Hopefully the aromas will open up with more bottle time. (4+11+18+8=91).
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7/28/2007 - ginfizz wrote: 91 Points
Excellent...citrusy lemon flavors, rounding out with aeration. A notch above the rest...a junior Aubert. Very tasty...
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7/15/2007 - Hillbilly wrote: flawed
Somewhat oxidized with a loose cork.
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7/3/2007 - jwwinec wrote: 92 Points
Fat, rich, intense, bursting with flavor, this is ready to go. Loads of nuts and lemon, with an interesting saline texture. Very broad on the palate, this comes close to sagging under its own weight. A succulent seafood stew paired wonderfully.
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5/26/2007 - mebydef wrote: 93 Points
This was very good. It had very good body, some mineral, loads of pineapple and a lush mouth feel. It didn’t however, have great length or greatness in its complexity.
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5/23/2007 - jerhardt wrote: 92 Points
At Tamarine. Consistent with the previous bottle, this is round and rich, yet balanced and alive. Someone else commented that this reminded them of the Seasmoke Gratis Chard; I can definitely see the similarities.
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4/30/2007 - silton wrote: 93 Points
As before, a truly wonderful wine that puts most others in its price range to shame. This has all the necessary components and its own personality, too.
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3/2/2007 - jeff nowak wrote: 94 Points
14.5% alcohol. santa cruz mountains/ spring ridge vineyard.
ok, i'm a little confused. the bottle also has spring ridge vineyard on the label, but home vineyard seems to be the designate for everything i've read about this wine.
my first tasting of any varner product, and i sure as hell hope it won't be my last. i love the complex nose of cashew, lime, orange, and mango. i find the minerality of the midpalate and finish compelling. there is still some oak. i keep reading about how this appellation isn't oaked, but this is definitely oaked. i'm not complaining, however, because the oily textured mouthfeel and super finish delight. great acidity, too. i'm an instant fan.
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2/25/2007 - hudamang wrote: 93 Points
Initially, the nose was overwhelmed by some funky mineral smell. It blew off quickly and evolved nicely in the glass. Lemon peel and definitely tropical fruits. I smelled pina colada and realized it was probably the pineapple flavors that was present. Not a buttery oak bomb but it's not a chardonnay pretending to be a sauvignon blanc either. On the palate, very sweet tropical flavors. Almost reminded me of a riesling but held its chardonnay characteristic. Nice lingering finish, reminding me of a creamy egg custard. Very nice. I'm normally not a big fan of chardonnay but I'm looking forward to my Auberts. One thing I noticed is that when warmed up, the difference between a cheap poorly made chard and a good chard is totally appararent. This is a good chard. Powerful wine that will go well with creamy or sweet food. The only problem was that there was some heat from the alcohol at first but that was receded.
The finish on this wine continues to linger in my mouth. Very nice finish indeed.
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2/16/2007 - PaulH wrote: 92 Points
Nose of lemon peel and ripe tropical fruits. Palate is rich and balanced with good lemony acidic structure. Oak is restrained, as is malo-butter. Very refreshing in the mouth, long finish.
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2/16/2007 - spelton wrote:
karyn likes it .. she wanted something mer soleil-ish tonight
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2/14/2007 - jwwinec wrote: 92 Points
Just drank a bottle at a restaurant with a nice, big lobster dinner for two. Shy and retiring at first, after 30 minutes this started cranking and worked wonderfully with the lobster. Very rich and sweet, nice oily, nutty, and spicy flavors with good balance of acidity and sweetness of fruit. A bit unfocused on the finish perhaps due to the 14.6% alcohol.
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2/10/2007 - DFC wrote: 93 Points
Brought to a restaurant. Failed to focus on the details here, but an awesome QPR!
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2/3/2007 - jerhardt wrote: 92 Points
Medium yellow in color. Walks an interesting and fine line between linear and round, racy and lush. Lemon oil, tropical fruit, and a bit of alcohol come through. This latter trait was definitely more prominent as the wine warmed up; as I chilled it, I liked it significantly better. To me does not reach the heights of Aubert, for example, but this is also a fraction of the price.
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1/27/2007 - Ali wrote: 93 Points
for me, this is as good as American chard gets. Can be enjoyed with a meal- unlike Aubert, Peter Micheal & Lewis chards I've had
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1/26/2007 - silton wrote: 93 Points
What do you call a wine that is simultaneously rich, fresh, and precise? Layered, light, and buttery? Nutty, tropical, and lemony? I call it phenomenal. Varner rocks my socks. I'd happily take more fruit, complexity and cirtric-tangy outro, but I have yet to taste a Chardonnay any better than this.
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1/13/2007 - Hillbilly wrote: 94 Points
This is a really fine Chard. This will be my go to Chard after Aubert. It is relatively thick, but not oppressive on the mouth. Clear and golden. Sees full ML I presume given the mouhtfeel. Great complex mix of tropical and lemon, slight lime citrus notes. Rich, almost oily and layered. Mouth coating. Great finish. Followed through a wide temp range and it performs like an Aubert...I preferred it most in the 60's. Ripe with great acid balance.
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9/19/2006 - steffenpelz wrote: 93 Points
Tasting Varner Wines with Jim Varner (Offices of Varner Wine in Menlo Park): fascinating nose of minerals, hints of lemon peel on finish, nutty flavors. Light on its feet, yet very layered. Seems like it could be a Meursault. Also 33-35% new oak. My favorite wine in the lineup.
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