A lot of butter and some oak on the nose. The palate is more fruity, apples I think, with a buttered popcorn finish. It's a pretty reasonable wine but I was hoping for more fruit. I'd say it's time to drink this wine but I don't expect it to fall off a cliff.
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Smooth, integrated, almost too Calif. Chardonnay like. Drank alongside a 2009. While there were clear differences, h09 reminds me of a lively, tart, acidic, bright Red Shoulder which is what I have always liked. The mature "05 was very good but lacking that zest.
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Blind Food and Wine Pairing Dinner: (Peter & Sandra's): Blind dinner Anita: Darker gold; creamy, melon, roasted nuts, vanilla, somewhat over extracted and oaky, but beautiful weighty mouthfeel. Too much for the more minimalist apple/bacon salad.
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Brassy at first, but after about an hour, developed into a really well integrated, complex Chardonnay that even wowed a non-Chardonnay drinker in our group.
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Definitely biased after finishing one bottle this week. So when guests arrived we had another, which all commented on how enjoyable it was. So one more point in the equation.
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Identical to last bottle. Pale yellow, moderate nose of citrus, pear and oak. Light-medium body, fruit and minerally acidity play nicely with oak, but the oak is not subtle, medium finish. Very good to excellent.
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Very pale yellow, moderate nose of citrus, pear and oak. Light-medium body, interesting play of fruit and minerally acidity with a bit more oak than ideal but very nice if you don't mind an oaky Chard, medium finish. Very good to excellent.
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This really didn't give up much on the nose. Had a nice taste of apple and pear with a mild bluestone. Went really well with grilled salmon, roasted potatos and green beans. I'd probably lower the score if it was w/o food as it was a little hot on its own.
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Very good, but a touch hot and quite bruising from a weight perspective, one of these types of wines that when you're in the mood it's awesome, but when you're not it's awful, no in between I would say- Gold, full bodied with a nose of pear, peach, butterscotch, caramel and vanilla creme, spicy, a touch of heat, decent complexity, sweet, smooth, creamy and rich on the palate with good length (90 Points).
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Purchased on sale for $39.99. Classic California Chardonnay on the nose, sporting an enticing bouquet of ripe pear and mandarin orange, as well as a decent amount of new oak adding vanilla scents to the mix. Much different on the palate, as the wine carries a distinct flint and stony edge, almost bitter, but by no means a distraction. Moderate acidity. Lengthy finish imparts a rich touch on the tongue, completing the arc to full circle. Definitely one to consume on the young side.
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My second bottle of this vintage...nice citrus flavors and stone fruit mingle well with just the right amount of acidity and oak in the background. This is a very creamy and luscious feeling wine.
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What an excellent bottle of Chard....well balanced with nice mouth feel and texture. Good stone fruit characteristics and just enough acidity. Absolutely drinking well now.
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OC Wine Dinner (Nesai - Newport Beach, CA): This is probably one of my favorite non-ML Chardonnays. Aromas of orange blossom and sea spray followed by lemon pulp, unripe nectarines, crushed minerals, and oyster shells. A nicely detailed wine that reminds me a little of the high-end Chards coming out the area but without the oak-infused richness. Give it a few more years and it will serve as a poor man's Aubert. My WOTF. 91-92 points.
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9/6/08 OC Wine Dinner (Nesai In Newport Beach, CA): Very nice. Flinty nose, with a palate of smooth lemony and pippin apple centered fruit. Some mineral and a hint of sea shell. The best white for me of the three other chards (Kistler and Hudson). Delicious.
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This was stunningly good. Very balanced. Not too much oak, but wonderful smooth finish, and complexity. Ellen summed it up best when she said, "This is really, really good." I agree completely.
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Very well done! Year in and year out this is always a nice wine - consistent and enjoyable. Tropical fruits, nice mouthfeel, medium to full bodied with decent acidity, not too much oak and a nice crisp finish that lingers in the mouth and makes you want another sip. I would like to make this my "house" chardonnay. I need to buy more of this.
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Golden with mild aromas of meaty apples and vanilla. Full body with mild acidity. Flavors of green apple cream, vanilla, and clove with a medium finish. Nice aroma but a little green on the flavor.
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On the nose tropical fruit,honeysuckle and the faint aromas of oak - In the mouth a medium bodied wine with the flavors found on the nose - there is good acidity and a fair finish - I find the $45. price point for the east coast a tough one as there are wines in that catagory with better concentration - Dumol, L'Angenin to name two - and complexity but that is only my opnion.
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A better bottle of Chardonay than the critics ratings. Good apple and pear fruit with a hint of oak. Good body and a nice finish. At this price one of the better California Chardonay's I've had in the last few months.
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Tasted at Shafer vineyards. A refreshing change from all the "buttery" napa chardonnay out there. Built more in an old world style, but with new world fruit from Carneros. Generous nose of tropical fruits, spice, and toastiness. Very refreshing in the mouth. Tropical fruits, mouth-filing juiciness, crisp almost steely acidity. Clean dry finish with spice and toastiness that lingers. Very little if at all any malolactic in this one. A steal at $40.
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With Jackie Wong, Pam Krol, Jen and me ... in Sea Bright, NJ Spanish Place: This wine was excellent ... on its own, and with our Spanish food (crab cakes, sea bass with pesto and avacado). I forgot the Chardonnay glasses (left in Princeton) ... but it was still ok, even in a red wine/burgundy glass.
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8/15/2015 - Bordeaux_Jon Likes this wine: 92 Points
A lot of butter and some oak on the nose. The palate is more fruity, apples I think, with a buttered popcorn finish. It's a pretty reasonable wine but I was hoping for more fruit. I'd say it's time to drink this wine but I don't expect it to fall off a cliff.
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11/23/2014 - Tarpon222 wrote: 91 Points
Smooth, integrated, almost too Calif. Chardonnay like. Drank alongside a 2009. While there were clear differences, h09 reminds me of a lively, tart, acidic, bright Red Shoulder which is what I have always liked. The mature "05 was very good but lacking that zest.
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7/2/2014 - woofy Likes this wine: 92 Points
This wine went down fast with sushi. We loved it.
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3/3/2013 - peternelson wrote: 89 Points
Blind Food and Wine Pairing Dinner: (Peter & Sandra's): Blind dinner Anita: Darker gold; creamy, melon, roasted nuts, vanilla, somewhat over extracted and oaky, but beautiful weighty mouthfeel. Too much for the more minimalist apple/bacon salad.
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12/5/2011 - Brian1970 wrote: 91 Points
Brassy at first, but after about an hour, developed into a really well integrated, complex Chardonnay that even wowed a non-Chardonnay drinker in our group.
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6/3/2011 - woofy wrote: 91 Points
Definitely biased after finishing one bottle this week. So when guests arrived we had another, which all commented on how enjoyable it was. So one more point in the equation.
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3/2/2011 - woofy wrote: 90 Points
Still a nice refreshing Chardonnay
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1/1/2011 - woofy wrote: 92 Points
Still fresh and pretty, just like the 2007
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12/21/2010 - Fookonson65 wrote: 92 Points
Always a good Chardonnay; has a bit of oak/vanilla, but still a nice crisp taste. Drank this at Mitchell's Ocean Club in Columbus, OH
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8/17/2010 - dbg wrote:
Identical to last bottle. Pale yellow, moderate nose of citrus, pear and oak. Light-medium body, fruit and minerally acidity play nicely with oak, but the oak is not subtle, medium finish. Very good to excellent.
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7/24/2010 - dbg wrote:
Very pale yellow, moderate nose of citrus, pear and oak. Light-medium body, interesting play of fruit and minerally acidity with a bit more oak than ideal but very nice if you don't mind an oaky Chard, medium finish. Very good to excellent.
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5/31/2010 - Bobc7had Likes this wine: 91 Points
Drink up. Starting to fade. Still a lovely wine
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11/25/2009 - balkmr@hotmail.com wrote: 91 Points
This really didn't give up much on the nose. Had a nice taste of apple and pear with a mild bluestone. Went really well with grilled salmon, roasted potatos and green beans. I'd probably lower the score if it was w/o food as it was a little hot on its own.
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9/12/2009 - Tarrant wrote: 89 Points
Very good, but a touch hot and quite bruising from a weight perspective, one of these types of wines that when you're in the mood it's awesome, but when you're not it's awful, no in between I would say- Gold, full bodied with a nose of pear, peach, butterscotch, caramel and vanilla creme, spicy, a touch of heat, decent complexity, sweet, smooth, creamy and rich on the palate with good length (90 Points).
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4/20/2009 - Buckaroo wrote: 90 Points
Excellent with lighter fare. Full of life. Last bottle of my allotment.
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12/25/2008 - jeff nowak wrote: 87 Points
a weak vintage for this wine. no mid palate weight and too much oak.
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12/25/2008 - Dale M wrote: 91 Points
Purchased on sale for $39.99. Classic California Chardonnay on the nose, sporting an enticing bouquet of ripe pear and mandarin orange, as well as a decent amount of new oak adding vanilla scents to the mix. Much different on the palate, as the wine carries a distinct flint and stony edge, almost bitter, but by no means a distraction. Moderate acidity. Lengthy finish imparts a rich touch on the tongue, completing the arc to full circle. Definitely one to consume on the young side.
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12/19/2008 - Fozziedoggie wrote: 94 Points
My second bottle of this vintage...nice citrus flavors and stone fruit mingle well with just the right amount of acidity and oak in the background. This is a very creamy and luscious feeling wine.
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12/6/2008 - tkoby11 wrote:
Color: Golden straw yellow
Nose: Toasty hazelenut, ripe apple and meyer lemon aromas.
Palate: Apple and citrus flavors, nutty and strong acidic finish that mellow as the wine was open longer.
If drinking, I would decant for 30 minutes or so to mellow out the finish.
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11/9/2008 - Fozziedoggie wrote: 95 Points
What an excellent bottle of Chard....well balanced with nice mouth feel and texture. Good stone fruit characteristics and just enough acidity. Absolutely drinking well now.
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9/6/2008 - Paul Lin wrote: 91 Points
OC Wine Dinner (Nesai - Newport Beach, CA): This is probably one of my favorite non-ML Chardonnays. Aromas of orange blossom and sea spray followed by lemon pulp, unripe nectarines, crushed minerals, and oyster shells. A nicely detailed wine that reminds me a little of the high-end Chards coming out the area but without the oak-infused richness. Give it a few more years and it will serve as a poor man's Aubert. My WOTF. 91-92 points.
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9/6/2008 - Frank Murray III wrote:
9/6/08 OC Wine Dinner (Nesai In Newport Beach, CA): Very nice. Flinty nose, with a palate of smooth lemony and pippin apple centered fruit. Some mineral and a hint of sea shell. The best white for me of the three other chards (Kistler and Hudson). Delicious.
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7/12/2008 - pkbackman wrote: 91 Points
Very slight oak. Crisp with solid fruit core. Caramel covered melons. Just a delicious wine.
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5/12/2008 - Mike Bates wrote: 89 Points
Apricot, Tropical fruit, a bit of green apple and vanilla on the nose. Nice balance with a bit of oak, though not overpowering. A very nice offering.
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5/8/2008 - ken-yyz wrote: 92 Points
Lemon curd and sweet tropical fruit. Some creaminess but finishes with some lively zest.
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4/26/2008 - JCaress wrote: 90 Points
Fruit for a chardonnay does not get much better. Beautiful golden color. Notes of cut hay and melon.
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4/11/2008 - chetlee wrote: 92 Points
Great Chardonnay. Light oak, balanced with some tropical fruit. If you own this, drink it now. You will not be sorry.
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4/5/2008 - A&C wrote: 93 Points
This was stunningly good. Very balanced. Not too much oak, but wonderful smooth finish, and complexity. Ellen summed it up best when she said, "This is really, really good." I agree completely.
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4/2/2008 - SMG wrote: 92 Points
Very well done! Year in and year out this is always a nice wine - consistent and enjoyable. Tropical fruits, nice mouthfeel, medium to full bodied with decent acidity, not too much oak and a nice crisp finish that lingers in the mouth and makes you want another sip. I would like to make this my "house" chardonnay. I need to buy more of this.
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3/24/2008 - thomaskeil wrote: 92 Points
Even better than the '04. White and tropical fruits, some vanilla and a terrific crisp finish. Great balance.
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3/16/2008 - GreatLibations wrote: 87 Points
Golden with mild aromas of meaty apples and vanilla. Full body with mild acidity. Flavors of green apple cream, vanilla, and clove with a medium finish. Nice aroma but a little green on the flavor.
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3/1/2008 - elliotgl wrote: 90 Points
On the nose tropical fruit,honeysuckle and the faint aromas of oak - In the mouth a medium bodied wine with the flavors found on the nose - there is good acidity and a fair finish - I find the $45. price point for the east coast a tough one as there are wines in that catagory with better concentration - Dumol, L'Angenin to name two - and complexity but that is only my opnion.
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2/18/2008 - eSchrag wrote: 92 Points
A better bottle of Chardonay than the critics ratings. Good apple and pear fruit with a hint of oak. Good body and a nice finish. At this price one of the better California Chardonay's I've had in the last few months.
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1/17/2008 - Combee1 wrote: 91 Points
Tasted at Shafer vineyards. A refreshing change from all the "buttery" napa chardonnay out there. Built more in an old world style, but with new world fruit from Carneros. Generous nose of tropical fruits, spice, and toastiness. Very refreshing in the mouth. Tropical fruits, mouth-filing juiciness, crisp almost steely acidity. Clean dry finish with spice and toastiness that lingers. Very little if at all any malolactic in this one. A steal at $40.
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11/22/2007 - rdorman wrote:
This is wonderful Chardonnay! Drank with Halibut and used some in the sauce. It was a good pairing. Very crisp!
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9/20/2007 - indiscriminate palate wrote:
Frugal/First Steps Tasting (Nashville): Limited tasting note: good!
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8/11/2007 - TashNYC wrote: 93 Points
With Jackie Wong, Pam Krol, Jen and me ... in Sea Bright, NJ Spanish Place: This wine was excellent ... on its own, and with our Spanish food (crab cakes, sea bass with pesto and avacado). I forgot the Chardonnay glasses (left in Princeton) ... but it was still ok, even in a red wine/burgundy glass.
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4/11/2007 - yovinny wrote: 94 Points
Crisp, refreshing & full bodied.
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4/6/2007 - old tractor wrote: 95 Points
Apple, pear not overoaked. Nice, big style. Perfect with roast chicken.
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