This was very tasty but perplexing. First poured it had the appearance of a bit of age. My initial impression was that it was good but there were definite oxidative flavors. This would be consistent with the previous notes. Carmel Apple nose. Quite good acidity but bruised apple, lemon, straw. The thing that perplexes me is how well this held on for. Indra k it over three days and it hung on and, honestly, was pretty outstanding, day two. Definite freshness, good citrus notes. So, I imagine I’ll let my last bottle go another year and I’ll see where things shake out. If it’s over the hill then so be it. The color leads me to believe the end is near but who knows.
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Distinct golden color, moreso than most chardonnay. On the nose, peanut, pear, yellow apple. On palate, big yellow apple and pear. Background lemon, salinity. M- acidity. 13.2%, no heat. I did not find it to be acid deficient. Relatively rounded texture, creamy. Perfect balance, rustic profile, soooooo tasty. Fruit forward in profile. In the zone.
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Starting to get a little long in the tooth, this bottle didn't have quite the excitement of my middle one (quite a bit of variation between the three) but it remained mature, exotic, with good tension and minerals. I'm moving on to newer vintages but continue to enjoy this excellent cuvee
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July 4 Weekend Wines with Buds (Washington, DC): Gorgeous. Ripe yellow color. Lots of lemon curd and yellow apples on the nose, along with minerals, hay, nougat, sea salt, peanut shell and whipped honey. The palate shows creamy texture and nice acidity (a bit lower than I prefer, but still really balanced), deep yellow apple, lemon curd and apricot fruit on the palate. This shows a complex mix of minerals, sea salt, with peanut shell, corn husk, with nuanced graham cracker and honey tones. A really delightful bottle that I served blind to the buds. One guessed Chablis and one guessed CA Chardonnay, so it was fun to watch them parse it out.
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Quite a delicate showing, though it fleshed out with air. Rich, round, honeyed, this was a very floral and textural Chardonnay, with delicate peach fruit. Lacking in much acidity however, so while it was very pleasant to drink it did lack a bit of spark at this stage. Overall quite nice though expensive. I probably would've enjoyed more a couple years ago, though this suffered in part because it followed a younger Kumeu River Chardonnay that was quite vibrant.
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Off the charts insanely good. Dripping with nectarine, honey reduction, amazing concentration and weight of fruit on the palate with intense acidity and a lingering finish. This is so delicious.
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Just delicious with butter cream, lime zest, refreshing acidity and quite a bit of development. It’s ready, at least from this first bottle. Fleshy and broad, not a ton of mineral but what a mixture of richness, freshness and tropical notes.
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Shy nose of light stone fruit, preserved lemon and flint. To be honest, I was slightly disappointed in this after reading the reviews - was expecting more of a "wow" wine. This was certainly a good wine, but with less depth than I was expecting. Perhaps I drank this earlier than optimal and/or my expectation were too high based on my exceptional experiences with a couple of well-aged Cameron pinots.
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Similar to my last more, seems a bit more integrated, still quite young. Strong acidic finish makes me think that this will hold for some time. Lovely wine.
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Apple, pear and lemon tart up front, moving nicely into a chalky, salty core before finishing very long on a steely acidity with some slight grassy / thai basil notes along the way. Tasted side-by-side with the 2016 Abbey Ridge - which I have mistaken for Burgundy in the past - this is another level higher yet. Graceful, balanced, complex, delicious... YUM.
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Wow. Rocking straight out of the gate. Not quite the level of nervous tension in some Walter Scott chards but with an equally satisfying creamy richness. Gets better and better with air and closer to room temperature. Everything one wants in a chard.
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Tightly coiled on day one with lemon curd, chalk, white flowers, seashells on the nose. Tight with good dry extract, density. Pear, apple, chalk again, with bright acidity. There is enough stuffing here and balance to the deceptively mid plus weighted wine that comes across fresh for its size. Quite long, Deft use of wood. Better and more focused on day 2. Outstanding Chardonnay.
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Lunch at Pizzeria Bebu (Chicago, IL): Every time I try one of these, I ask myself why I don't buy them. They could easily hold their own against all but the very best of Burgundy. Not particularly stylized by flinty reduction, the nose instead shows obviously young with a bit of aldehydic quality, which I think should dissipate with time. The palate has the requisite acidity and mineral freshness, but also enough fruit that everything is nicely rounded out. The texture here is a touch thicker, but it definitely works. Impressive as always.
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Mid weight and initially reductive but acid and complexity do increase with time open. Lemon curd, stone fruit, and a healthy amount of metallic minerals. Stylistically unique and not overly Burgundian or new world. Time will help bring out some more precise elements.
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Had at a family dinner, no formal notes due to being under the weather N was really nice with tropical, pineapple, fruit, light cream, going on. P good mixed fruit attack with apple, hints of pineapple, cream Finish was above average in length, seemed like good acidity but the finer details were lost on me Initial thoughts 91 - 92
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Pale gold in the glass, aromas of apple juice, pears, citrus peel, and cream. In the mouth, the wine if medium bodied, crisp, and clean. flavors are in balance, with apple really taking the lead, a very clean juicy body with a creamy finish. The wine seems really tight right now. I'd like to see this in 5-7 years, but hot damn if this isn't great right now, really reminds me of the Old World, but very Oregonian.
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10/14/2023 - Rywyine Likes this wine:
This was very tasty but perplexing. First poured it had the appearance of a bit of age. My initial impression was that it was good but there were definite oxidative flavors. This would be consistent with the previous notes. Carmel Apple nose. Quite good acidity but bruised apple, lemon, straw. The thing that perplexes me is how well this held on for. Indra k it over three days and it hung on and, honestly, was pretty outstanding, day two. Definite freshness, good citrus notes. So, I imagine I’ll let my last bottle go another year and I’ll see where things shake out. If it’s over the hill then so be it. The color leads me to believe the end is near but who knows.
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4/29/2023 - Discobiscuits42 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Distinct golden color, moreso than most chardonnay. On the nose, peanut, pear, yellow apple. On palate, big yellow apple and pear. Background lemon, salinity. M- acidity. 13.2%, no heat. I did not find it to be acid deficient.
Relatively rounded texture, creamy. Perfect balance, rustic profile, soooooo tasty. Fruit forward in profile. In the zone.
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10/24/2022 - KC Bloodlines Likes this wine:
Very good. In a great spot.
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10/17/2022 - jviz Likes this wine: 92 Points
Starting to get a little long in the tooth, this bottle didn't have quite the excitement of my middle one (quite a bit of variation between the three) but it remained mature, exotic, with good tension and minerals. I'm moving on to newer vintages but continue to enjoy this excellent cuvee
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7/3/2022 - isaacjamesbaker wrote: 94 Points
July 4 Weekend Wines with Buds (Washington, DC): Gorgeous. Ripe yellow color. Lots of lemon curd and yellow apples on the nose, along with minerals, hay, nougat, sea salt, peanut shell and whipped honey. The palate shows creamy texture and nice acidity (a bit lower than I prefer, but still really balanced), deep yellow apple, lemon curd and apricot fruit on the palate. This shows a complex mix of minerals, sea salt, with peanut shell, corn husk, with nuanced graham cracker and honey tones. A really delightful bottle that I served blind to the buds. One guessed Chablis and one guessed CA Chardonnay, so it was fun to watch them parse it out.
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4/23/2022 - ex-sommelier Likes this wine:
Quite a delicate showing, though it fleshed out with air. Rich, round, honeyed, this was a very floral and textural Chardonnay, with delicate peach fruit. Lacking in much acidity however, so while it was very pleasant to drink it did lack a bit of spark at this stage. Overall quite nice though expensive. I probably would've enjoyed more a couple years ago, though this suffered in part because it followed a younger Kumeu River Chardonnay that was quite vibrant.
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4/17/2022 - jviz wrote: 97 Points
Off the charts insanely good. Dripping with nectarine, honey reduction, amazing concentration and weight of fruit on the palate with intense acidity and a lingering finish. This is so delicious.
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12/30/2021 - jviz wrote: 93 Points
Just delicious with butter cream, lime zest, refreshing acidity and quite a bit of development. It’s ready, at least from this first bottle. Fleshy and broad, not a ton of mineral but what a mixture of richness, freshness and tropical notes.
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6/8/2021 - JCGuthrie wrote:
Shy nose of light stone fruit, preserved lemon and flint. To be honest, I was slightly disappointed in this after reading the reviews - was expecting more of a "wow" wine. This was certainly a good wine, but with less depth than I was expecting. Perhaps I drank this earlier than optimal and/or my expectation were too high based on my exceptional experiences with a couple of well-aged Cameron pinots.
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11/4/2020 - HandmadeHomemade Likes this wine:
Similar to my last more, seems a bit more integrated, still quite young. Strong acidic finish makes me think that this will hold for some time. Lovely wine.
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6/8/2020 - oropeza Likes this wine:
Apple, pear and lemon tart up front, moving nicely into a chalky, salty core before finishing very long on a steely acidity with some slight grassy / thai basil notes along the way. Tasted side-by-side with the 2016 Abbey Ridge - which I have mistaken for Burgundy in the past - this is another level higher yet. Graceful, balanced, complex, delicious... YUM.
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11/11/2019 - sschen Likes this wine:
Wow. Rocking straight out of the gate. Not quite the level of nervous tension in some Walter Scott chards but with an equally satisfying creamy richness. Gets better and better with air and closer to room temperature. Everything one wants in a chard.
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10/13/2019 - cct wrote: 93 Points
My first time with this wine.
Tightly coiled on day one with lemon curd, chalk, white flowers, seashells on the nose. Tight with good dry extract, density. Pear, apple, chalk again, with bright acidity. There is enough stuffing here and balance to the deceptively mid plus weighted wine that comes across fresh for its size. Quite long, Deft use of wood. Better and more focused on day 2. Outstanding Chardonnay.
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2/3/2019 - acyso wrote: 93 Points
Lunch at Pizzeria Bebu (Chicago, IL): Every time I try one of these, I ask myself why I don't buy them. They could easily hold their own against all but the very best of Burgundy. Not particularly stylized by flinty reduction, the nose instead shows obviously young with a bit of aldehydic quality, which I think should dissipate with time. The palate has the requisite acidity and mineral freshness, but also enough fruit that everything is nicely rounded out. The texture here is a touch thicker, but it definitely works. Impressive as always.
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2/2/2019 - MAXIMUM SATISFACTION wrote: 93 Points
Mid weight and initially reductive but acid and complexity do increase with time open. Lemon curd, stone fruit, and a healthy amount of metallic minerals. Stylistically unique and not overly Burgundian or new world. Time will help bring out some more precise elements.
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1/21/2019 - manonthemoon wrote:
Had at a family dinner, no formal notes due to being under the weather
N was really nice with tropical, pineapple, fruit, light cream, going on.
P good mixed fruit attack with apple, hints of pineapple, cream
Finish was above average in length, seemed like good acidity but the finer details were lost on me
Initial thoughts 91 - 92
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11/27/2018 - HandmadeHomemade Likes this wine:
Pale gold in the glass, aromas of apple juice, pears, citrus peel, and cream. In the mouth, the wine if medium bodied, crisp, and clean. flavors are in balance, with apple really taking the lead, a very clean juicy body with a creamy finish. The wine seems really tight right now. I'd like to see this in 5-7 years, but hot damn if this isn't great right now, really reminds me of the Old World, but very Oregonian.
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