Tasted at the same time as the 08, this is much richer, but above all the extra three years have given it more body and complexity. The nose is dominated by honey with hints of butter, but there's also some lemon and herbs. The wine hits the front and top of the palate with an intoxicating blend of rich honey and almonds, but it's held in check by citrus flavours and a refreshing acidity. The second wave is closer to butterscotch, before a massively persistent finish combining all the flavours together. Excellent.
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Another reminder of the ageing capacity of Champalou wines, this had the requisite mix of quince, honey and lemon, finishing on a dry, elegant note of almonds and butterscotch. Delicious.
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Classic Vouvray. Nice balance and mouthfeel. Perhaps just a touch too much sweetness, but a very pleasant wine and pairs wonderfully with food, in this case grilled, marinated chicken breasts.
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Fantastic density and minerality, nutty flavors with just a hint of sweetness-not in an obtrusive manner though. I like this a lot, especially for the price.
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Notes of mineral and fruit. Very nice, perhaps the most pleasant white I've had in a year or so. I don't feel competent to give this a numerical score, but am not inclined to criticize the high 80s it has been getting here. I also don't feel competent to give a drink-by date, but I see no reason to wait.
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Year in, year out this is a must purchase Loire white. INcredible concentration of fruit, a dexterous mouthfeel, and just a joy to drink. A real drop of heaven from the Valley!
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Light straw color with a certain brilliance to it that reminds me of Christmas ornaments. Nose is crisp and refreshing with smells of green grape, apple, pear and perhaps the slightest hint of grass or hay. Bouquet is light. Enough to be pleasant, though I'd appreciate a stronger presence as the enjoyment fades quickly. Taste is a really nice balance of sweetness like honey, melon, citrus, a hint of vanilla and wood lurking in the background, just a little acidity - the right amount I'd say. I was pleasantly surprised by this wine - very enjoyable for a light, refreshing white.
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Dry to off dry, pineapples, pears and apricots. Hoeny grass, alcohol, musky. Med + acidity, medium alcohol. Decent finish. A nice, smooth and refreshing, but not overly sweet. A nice value.
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Wow - this is incredibly elegant, food friendly and enjoyable. Lovely nose of lemon zest, white flowers, quince and honey, off-dry in the mouth with lemon and apple flavours and a hint of musk. Just enough residual sugar to pair very well with some mild Indian food - this is gorgeous summer wine and amazing QPR. Day 2 update: Left half in the fridge overnight. It's holding up beautifully, and seems to have gained a bit more complexity as well with some nutty and mineral flavours starting to also show on the palate. Finish is gorgeous - long, clean and refreshing.
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lemon curd and meringue on the nose and palate, with lots of fat. even on day 2, not enough acidity to balance things out. this is good wine, with fresh flavors, but it is simple and uninspiring, and too big, rich, and ripe without the balance.
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opened just for drinks on patio and really liked it. I don't know what I was thinking the first time, perhaps it was the bottle but this is very nice . Light honeyed flowers and fruit with a touch of citrus. Perfect for summer drinking. Not quite as sweet as the Pichot and a couple of dollars more.
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to my taste rather nondescript, lacking in flavor and fruit. those liking a dryer Vouvray will probably like this but for me not a patch on the Pichot.
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Second bottle even better than first. Still lots of mineral and blossom on the nose, with pure citrus essences, herbs, and stone on the palate. Perfectly situated on the cusp between dry and off dry. Perfect for Indian food.
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Nice expressive nose, with lots of honeysuckle and melon scents. Lots of minerals, apple, lemon, and a vaguely fruity spicyiness on the tongue. Better and better as it warms.
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Sweet and bland. Not a lot of flavors besides sugar and some vanilla that I remember. Most dissapointing was a blatant emptiness on the mid-palate, with hardly any finish at all. Nevertheless, different strokes for different folks: the friend who brought it would probably rate this more of a 90
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Saturday Tasting (Mission Wines, South Pasadena): Straw-colored. Aromas of lemon blossom and minerals. Lemon essence, minerals, and slightly herbaceous palate. Slightly off dry. Very good QPR.
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Pale gold in color. Lovely nose: hay, honey, and a bit of apple. Slightly sweet with mineral, honey, and a little citrus. Vibrant and light at the same time...intriguing.
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Expressive nose of ultrapure lemon, with some minerality. On the palate, chiseled citrus fruit, and a light quince / exotic fruit note. Impressive, and IMO, a step up from the 2004, which I've had a number of times and enjoyed. The 2004 came across as drier, where the 2005 is off-dry and certainly riper.
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Gravel, slate, mineral undercurrent to a off-dry chenin blanc, quite characteristic of Vouvray. Nice wine at a nice price. Good match with many foods, including mild to warm thai dishes.
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10/7/2013 - Julian Marshall Likes this wine: 93 Points
Same flavours and aromas as the last bottle, an exquisitely tasty wine.
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6/4/2013 - Julian Marshall Likes this wine: 93 Points
Tasted at the same time as the 08, this is much richer, but above all the extra three years have given it more body and complexity.
The nose is dominated by honey with hints of butter, but there's also some lemon and herbs. The wine hits the front and top of the palate with an intoxicating blend of rich honey and almonds, but it's held in check by citrus flavours and a refreshing acidity. The second wave is closer to butterscotch, before a massively persistent finish combining all the flavours together. Excellent.
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9/30/2012 - Julian Marshall wrote:
Another reminder of the ageing capacity of Champalou wines, this had the requisite mix of quince, honey and lemon, finishing on a dry, elegant note of almonds and butterscotch. Delicious.
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12/5/2010 - theoves wrote: 89 Points
Classic Vouvray. Nice balance and mouthfeel. Perhaps just a touch too much sweetness, but a very pleasant wine and pairs wonderfully with food, in this case grilled, marinated chicken breasts.
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12/9/2009 - aof wrote: 91 Points
Fantastic density and minerality, nutty flavors with just a hint of sweetness-not in an obtrusive manner though. I like this a lot, especially for the price.
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11/17/2008 - Tudz Drkl wrote: 88 Points
nice fruit on the palate with a tiny bit of sweetness left. The profile was medium length and food friendly.
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11/2/2008 - oaxaca90049 wrote:
very pleasant and reliable summer white. Nice balance of sweet stone fruit with mineral notes. good value.
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9/6/2008 - appleforest wrote:
Notes of mineral and fruit. Very nice, perhaps the most pleasant white I've had in a year or so. I don't feel competent to give this a numerical score, but am not inclined to criticize the high 80s it has been getting here. I also don't feel competent to give a drink-by date, but I see no reason to wait.
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12/29/2007 - mdstenner wrote: 90 Points
Year in, year out this is a must purchase Loire white. INcredible concentration of fruit, a dexterous mouthfeel, and just a joy to drink. A real drop of heaven from the Valley!
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11/24/2007 - dcoplan wrote: 92 Points
Light straw color with a certain brilliance to it that reminds me of Christmas ornaments. Nose is crisp and refreshing with smells of green grape, apple, pear and perhaps the slightest hint of grass or hay. Bouquet is light. Enough to be pleasant, though I'd appreciate a stronger presence as the enjoyment fades quickly. Taste is a really nice balance of sweetness like honey, melon, citrus, a hint of vanilla and wood lurking in the background, just a little acidity - the right amount I'd say. I was pleasantly surprised by this wine - very enjoyable for a light, refreshing white.
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10/4/2007 - xksrx wrote: 89 Points
Dry to off dry, pineapples, pears and apricots. Hoeny grass, alcohol, musky. Med + acidity, medium alcohol. Decent finish. A nice, smooth and refreshing, but not overly sweet. A nice value.
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8/31/2007 - salil wrote: 90 Points
Wow - this is incredibly elegant, food friendly and enjoyable. Lovely nose of lemon zest, white flowers, quince and honey, off-dry in the mouth with lemon and apple flavours and a hint of musk. Just enough residual sugar to pair very well with some mild Indian food - this is gorgeous summer wine and amazing QPR.
Day 2 update: Left half in the fridge overnight. It's holding up beautifully, and seems to have gained a bit more complexity as well with some nutty and mineral flavours starting to also show on the palate. Finish is gorgeous - long, clean and refreshing.
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7/26/2007 - brooklynguy wrote: 84 Points
lemon curd and meringue on the nose and palate, with lots of fat. even on day 2, not enough acidity to balance things out. this is good wine, with fresh flavors, but it is simple and uninspiring, and too big, rich, and ripe without the balance.
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7/26/2007 - oaxaca90049 wrote:
Always enjoyable and reliable. Less sweet that tne Pichot which at times is preferable
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7/17/2007 - oaxaca90049 wrote:
perfect summer wine for drinking outdoors. i really enjoy it.
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7/12/2007 - oaxaca90049 wrote:
opened just for drinks on patio and really liked it. I don't know what I was thinking the first time, perhaps it was the bottle but this is very nice . Light honeyed flowers and fruit with a touch of citrus. Perfect for summer drinking. Not quite as sweet as the Pichot and a couple of dollars more.
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6/23/2007 - oaxaca90049 wrote:
to my taste rather nondescript, lacking in flavor and fruit. those liking a dryer Vouvray will probably like this but for me not a patch on the Pichot.
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6/22/2007 - Jazzman wrote: 90 Points
Excellent. My favorite wine of the night. Nice floral nose and honeyed fruit and pecans on the palate.
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6/6/2007 - JJC wrote:
SWEET GOOD C FOOD
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6/6/2007 - drdebs wrote: 90 Points
Second bottle even better than first. Still lots of mineral and blossom on the nose, with pure citrus essences, herbs, and stone on the palate. Perfectly situated on the cusp between dry and off dry. Perfect for Indian food.
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5/27/2007 - Old_Winyards wrote: 89 Points
Nice expressive nose, with lots of honeysuckle and melon scents. Lots of minerals, apple, lemon, and a vaguely fruity spicyiness on the tongue. Better and better as it warms.
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5/3/2007 - Wicker Parker wrote:
Ripe Asian pear, chamomille on the nose, good balance of acidity and minerality. Nice with goat cheese.
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4/3/2007 - tarheel17 wrote: 85 Points
Sweet and bland. Not a lot of flavors besides sugar and some vanilla that I remember. Most dissapointing was a blatant emptiness on the mid-palate, with hardly any finish at all. Nevertheless, different strokes for different folks: the friend who brought it would probably rate this more of a 90
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3/22/2007 - MichaelF wrote: 90 Points
Pure lemon meringue pie in a glass. Long, vibrant finish. Very exciting wine.
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3/17/2007 - drdebs wrote: 89 Points
Saturday Tasting (Mission Wines, South Pasadena): Straw-colored. Aromas of lemon blossom and minerals. Lemon essence, minerals, and slightly herbaceous palate. Slightly off dry. Very good QPR.
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2/10/2007 - suzanna9452000 wrote:
Pale gold in color. Lovely nose: hay, honey, and a bit of apple. Slightly sweet with mineral, honey, and a little citrus. Vibrant and light at the same time...intriguing.
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12/15/2006 - Ben Andersen wrote:
Expressive nose of ultrapure lemon, with some minerality. On the palate, chiseled citrus fruit, and a light quince / exotic fruit note. Impressive, and IMO, a step up from the 2004, which I've had a number of times and enjoyed. The 2004 came across as drier, where the 2005 is off-dry and certainly riper.
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12/13/2006 - brianmik wrote:
Sweet with minerality.
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11/22/2006 - aktormedic wrote: 88 Points
Gravel, slate, mineral undercurrent to a off-dry chenin blanc, quite characteristic of Vouvray. Nice wine at a nice price. Good match with many foods, including mild to warm thai dishes.
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9/9/2006 - AllRed wrote: 89 Points
Poured at a retailer tasting. Light mineral and citrus notes. Creamy tropical fruit flavors.
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8/8/2006 - cg wrote:
Minerals, slight residual sweetness contributed extra fruitiness to the wine. Really delicious. Great value. Must..buy...more!
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