This wine is at its prime. The colour and warm climate fruit fragrances are inviting. The palate highlights the fruit components and the finish is crisp without being steely.
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Pale yellow with a greenish hue. Nose of citrus. Bright fresh lemon, grapefruit, oranges with a zesty mouthfeel and moderate acidity. No finesse or elegance.
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Unoaked yet seemingly allowed to undergo malolactic fermentation, this wine to me expresses the worst of both schools of chardonnay: it lacks both the complexity of traditional Cali examples and the freshness and mineral cut of the Burgundian style. For all that, however, it's well made and offers some nice fruit.
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Drank side by side with Mer Soleil 07. This was much lighter and more drinkable. The Mer Soleil was very heavy with strong oak notes and far more viscous.
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Lovely pale gold color, with a round and citrus nose and apple and pear. The palate show glorious tree fruit, good richness, wonderful acidity, and the wine finishes with meyer lemon on the finish.
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Enjoyable Cali chard, but this comes a caveat; I don't like Cali chard. This one was buttery without the oak. Good fruit, but this much more viscous than French chard.
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Nice weight for an unoaked chard. Fruit is well rounded with a soft finish. The only reason I don't rate this higher was that as it warmed up it had a slight "dirty" smell to it that was off.
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There is a richness I did not anticipate from an unoaked Chard. Beefier than I expected, to be sure. But not totally out of the woods. As there is also a bit of a harshness. That harshness might, just possibly, have been less edgy if light oaking had been used. But on the whole, not bad (82.5).
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Fairly heavy bodied, creamy yet acidic in texture. Has a nice mix of citrus and tropical fruits, but seems a bit disjointed. Falls short of being impressive and it's not worth the price of admission.
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I liked the previous vintage but am not a fan of this one. It is too heavy and cloying (relatively -- it isn't port) for the tropical fruitiness of its cold fermentation. The "oak" others are referring to is too much apparent diacetyl from ML fermentation. The softness of the ML oozes into the slight heaviness of the finish -- in a word it is flabby (relatively, again).
I say if you are going to go bigger-bodied with a cold-fermented steel-tank Chardonnay, you ought to blend in just enough warmer-fermented, oaked Chardonnay to carry it. Or keep it lighter and crisper like the previous vintage.
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Popped and poured. Medium-light canary hue flecked with green. Aromas of pear, citrus, minerals, and a touch of lees. Medium body, with average acidity. On the palate, this Chardonnay features a nice mix of citrus and notes of stone fruits along with minerals and even a hint of toast. Adequate length. Although nothing really stands out, this makes for a very nice sipper on the patio.
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Ripe citrus and tropical flavors are rounded out by a creamy lactic element that makes this wine more smooth than crisp. Very good, but hard to justify the price.
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Maybe I was expecting a Cloudy Bay analog. We liked the light gold color with a pale green tint. The taste was certainly clean and two guests noted aromas of honeydew and green apple. I tasted pineapple and papaya and some crisp mineral. We disagreed on the finish; I felt it was adequate, others were more effusive.
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Very nice well-balanced and smooth CA Central Coast un-oaked chardonnay enjoyed for dinner last night with salads with Kim and good friends. Clear gold, well balanced butter and oak and both present in surprising amounts for this un-oaked chardonnay. Too expensive to be a good QPR but highly recommend this wine. Nose surprisingly crisp and mildly fruity with some pear, butter and baking yeast. Primary flavors were crisp and well balanced with a surprising amount of oak and butter present, also pear and allspice.
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Drank unceremoniously from the cellar (57degreesF), a twist and pour job. EYE:pale yellow with a green twinge; NOSE: soft talc and fresh spritzy aroma; TONGUE:tropical fruit notes balance by the citrus acidity and mineral. Finish is long and round and made me thirsty for more, gave it at least an extra point or two.
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Made in the style of French Chard -- like a Chlabis. It has no oak, is crisp like a Sauv. Blanc but without the tart acidity or green greass of a S.B. Good alternative especially at price for a nice easy white.
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Darker golden color than expected. Dry Burgandy nose of lemon peel and asian pair. Palate has good weight with a salty rock like note. The backend has a nice dose of acidity on the finish. Overall Chardonay from Napa that rivals the French version for the price point. The only draw backs for me is the lack of focus with the acidity and the heat on the back end (14.2%).
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Very Good Beautiful straw color, nose of lemon zest, pear and peach. Mouth feel is heavier than expected but citric type acids are prevalent along with wet rock and what I would describe as Dutch Apple Pie. Very balanced and nice mouth watering - long finish. Will definitely buy again.
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The nose contains light nectarines, and the taste of the same is there. There's a little bit of canned fruit cocktail syrup on the palatte on the nose as well. This wine is pretty light, and doesn't seem to have a lot going on. However, it is clean and well integrated.
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Steely green/golden hue with sweet tropical fruit and slate notes. Vibrant acidity, although still stone fruit flavors, with a lingering acidic finish.
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Very pale in color with a light, citric nose. Good fruit -- some rich apple and pear -- with an extra dose of acidity and strong presence of earth and stone. The oak is noticeably missing and probably a good representation of a pure chardonnay without the wood.
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Stony and grassy, brings Sauvignon Blanc to mind. These elements are predominant and overshadow the fruit which is present but I was unable to identify specifics. Clean, crisp and pure with balanced acid.
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Clearly well made, very good pure fruit, however the acidity was way overpowering and most positive aspects of the wine were overshadowed. If the acidity had been toned down it would have scored better.
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Just Okay. Definitely had the heavy weight body of a chardonnay, but lacked a fullness or roundness of flavor. This leaves it in sort of an odd middle-ground - not crisp, light, and refreshing, and yet not full-flavored and mouth-filling.
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Very pale yellow color. Some spice and light fruit -- lemon -- on the nose. The taste was richer fruits -- baked apples and pears -- with some stiff acidity and a moderate finish.
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Apple on the nose with a little bit of earthiness. Pineapple, mango, grapefruit. Acidic finish. Thick, chewy mouthfeel. This is interesting wine. It is a Chardonnay made in a Sauvignon Blanc style except for the weight.
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AD Trade Show: Much fuller then I expected. This wine shows the quality of the fruit being picked from this vineyard. Bordering on tropical, and great lip smacking acidity. 88-89
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A solid wine. Not a typical chardonnay in my opinion. The color was very light, more sav. blanc in appearance. Peach and honey dew melon on the nose and also in the flavor. I don't tend to like heavily oak Chardonnays, so I enjoyed this. if oak is your cup of tea, this wine will be much too light for you. Some previous notes by others noted high acidity - I did not pick up on that this time around. I can see enjoying this on a nice warm day. (all this being said, for the $35-40 price tag, I think there are better wines out there
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Pale yellow gold with aromas of brisk tropical citrus. Medium nectar with balancing acidity. Flavors are brisk and clean with citrus, tropicals, silky butter cream, mildly tart peaches and pear. The finish is long and clean with lingering tartfruit.
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Twisted and poured. Light golden color, much lighter than the typical oaked chardonnay. On the nose, tropical fruits - pineapple, papaya, bananas with a whiff of crushed rocks and some almonds. On the palate, nicely balanced with the same tropical fruits offset by a nice acidic zing and a little minerality on the midpalate, underpinned by a creaminess, but not at all buttery. I am not a big oaked chardonnay fan at all, but I really like this. Not cheap, but worth it.
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8/30/2012 - Pvinbrock wrote: 91 Points
Great wine not too much oak
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7/18/2012 - vine20 wrote: 87 Points
Pale yellow with a subyle citrus. Bitter lemon predominates, some fizz and medium minerality.
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6/22/2012 - sacprod wrote:
- Yellow color.
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3/24/2012 - Wyliecoyote wrote: 89 Points
This wine is at its prime. The colour and warm climate fruit fragrances are inviting. The palate highlights the fruit components and the finish is crisp without being steely.
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8/2/2011 - IlonaN wrote: 89 Points
Ripe chardonnay flavors with ample acidity and none of that butterscotch oak influence. I like it! Holding up well at this point.
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7/3/2011 - vine20 wrote: 88 Points
Pale yellow with a greenish hue. Nose of citrus. Bright fresh lemon, grapefruit, oranges with a zesty mouthfeel and moderate acidity. No finesse or elegance.
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10/13/2010 - fer999 wrote: 89 Points
Short finish. Bright citrus, lemon.
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9/11/2010 - will2wine wrote: 85 Points
Unoaked yet seemingly allowed to undergo malolactic fermentation, this wine to me expresses the worst of both schools of chardonnay: it lacks both the complexity of traditional Cali examples and the freshness and mineral cut of the Burgundian style. For all that, however, it's well made and offers some nice fruit.
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9/6/2010 - Wino from Michigan wrote: 90 Points
Best one yet --- fresh fruit with small amount of buttery taste - very balanced with good acidity
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8/28/2010 - tabrand wrote: 92 Points
Clean & crisp finish
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6/18/2010 - VoteferPedro wrote: 89 Points
same as earlier note but a little less fruit. I find the wine zingy and substantial though.
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6/18/2010 - Gfritzh wrote: 89 Points
A nice, relatively light and refreshing Chardonnay with well balanced fruit and acidity and a bit of spice. Drinking well now.
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5/20/2010 - Gfritzh wrote: 88 Points
Drank side by side with Mer Soleil 07. This was much lighter and more drinkable. The Mer Soleil was very heavy with strong oak notes and far more viscous.
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5/14/2010 - godx wrote: 88 Points
No formal notes. Very good.
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4/28/2010 - Gfritzh wrote: 90 Points
Much improved since the last bottle. Drinking very well now.
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3/14/2010 - mdstenner wrote: 89 Points
Lovely pale gold color, with a round and citrus nose and apple and pear. The palate show glorious tree fruit, good richness, wonderful acidity, and the wine finishes with meyer lemon on the finish.
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3/5/2010 - pmilnes wrote:
Bills bday
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3/1/2010 - Wino from Michigan wrote: 89 Points
Very nice with stir fry -- the acidty really works with the food. Bright falvors of citrus with little / no oak.
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2/16/2010 - Sauvyfan wrote: 86 Points
Enjoyable Cali chard, but this comes a caveat; I don't like Cali chard. This one was buttery without the oak. Good fruit, but this much more viscous than French chard.
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1/11/2010 - bambam wrote: 87 Points
Nice weight for an unoaked chard. Fruit is well rounded with a soft finish. The only reason I don't rate this higher was that as it warmed up it had a slight "dirty" smell to it that was off.
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10/5/2009 - Ombibulous wrote: 83 Points
There is a richness I did not anticipate from an unoaked Chard. Beefier than I expected, to be sure. But not totally out of the woods. As there is also a bit of a harshness. That harshness might, just possibly, have been less edgy if light oaking had been used. But on the whole, not bad (82.5).
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8/26/2009 - cabdrinker wrote: 91 Points
Still a solid 91 and a crowd pleaser on this scorching hot day. White peaches for days in this bottle. All previous notes apply.
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8/11/2009 - wine4ever wrote: 87 Points
Fairly heavy bodied, creamy yet acidic in texture. Has a nice mix of citrus and tropical fruits, but seems a bit disjointed. Falls short of being impressive and it's not worth the price of admission.
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7/27/2009 - Gfritzh wrote: 88 Points
Did not pair very well with Lobster salad. The wine was a bit too acidic for the sweetish lobster which resulted in a slightly sour finish.
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7/18/2009 - hankj wrote: 82 Points
I liked the previous vintage but am not a fan of this one. It is too heavy and cloying (relatively -- it isn't port) for the tropical fruitiness of its cold fermentation. The "oak" others are referring to is too much apparent diacetyl from ML fermentation. The softness of the ML oozes into the slight heaviness of the finish -- in a word it is flabby (relatively, again).
I say if you are going to go bigger-bodied with a cold-fermented steel-tank Chardonnay, you ought to blend in just enough warmer-fermented, oaked Chardonnay to carry it. Or keep it lighter and crisper like the previous vintage.
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7/11/2009 - williamswhine wrote: 85 Points
Tropical flavor and straw-like color. To me, aftertaste was somewhat metallic. Not one of my favorites.
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6/18/2009 - *Vine* wrote: 88 Points
Popped and poured. Medium-light canary hue flecked with green. Aromas of pear, citrus, minerals, and a touch of lees. Medium body, with average acidity. On the palate, this Chardonnay features a nice mix of citrus and notes of stone fruits along with minerals and even a hint of toast. Adequate length. Although nothing really stands out, this makes for a very nice sipper on the patio.
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6/10/2009 - will2wine wrote: 88 Points
Ripe citrus and tropical flavors are rounded out by a creamy lactic element that makes this wine more smooth than crisp. Very good, but hard to justify the price.
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5/30/2009 - WetRock wrote:
Blind Unoaked Chardonnay and Petit Sirahs (Fratello's, Laguna Niguel, CA): Served blind. Flat showing ripe fruits. Sweet ripe palate with some heat.
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5/15/2009 - jdbcolumbus wrote: 89 Points
Pear, tropical fruit,yeast, toast on the nose. Cream and tart with medium to full body.
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5/8/2009 - vine20 wrote: 87 Points
Thin citrus on the nose. The fruits on the palate are similarly thin -- lemon -- and a bit weedy like wet grass. The acidity is strong.
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4/18/2009 - mattiej wrote: 88 Points
well balanced, nice acidity. a classic chardonnay. nothing out of the ordinary, nice crisp wine, very good on a hot day.
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4/9/2009 - rdma wrote: 88 Points
Maybe I was expecting a Cloudy Bay analog. We liked the light gold color with a pale green tint. The taste was certainly clean and two guests noted aromas of honeydew and green apple. I tasted pineapple and papaya and some crisp mineral. We disagreed on the finish; I felt it was adequate, others were more effusive.
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3/25/2009 - ikkaariainen wrote: 88 Points
Very nice well-balanced and smooth CA Central Coast un-oaked chardonnay enjoyed for dinner last night with salads with Kim and good friends. Clear gold, well balanced butter and oak and both present in surprising amounts for this un-oaked chardonnay. Too expensive to be a good QPR but highly recommend this wine. Nose surprisingly crisp and mildly fruity with some pear, butter and baking yeast. Primary flavors were crisp and well balanced with a surprising amount of oak and butter present, also pear and allspice.
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3/20/2009 - mrpalmer wrote: 89 Points
Good. Clean, somewhat spritzy. Pear, peach. Interesting and repeatable but at 22 bucks it's not screaming to be stocked.
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3/19/2009 - Wino from Michigan wrote: 88 Points
Consistent notes -- good wine for value.
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3/18/2009 - VoteferPedro wrote: 90 Points
Drank unceremoniously from the cellar (57degreesF), a twist and pour job.
EYE:pale yellow with a green twinge; NOSE: soft talc and fresh spritzy aroma; TONGUE:tropical fruit notes balance by the citrus acidity and mineral. Finish is long and round and made me thirsty for more, gave it at least an extra point or two.
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3/4/2009 - Wino from Michigan wrote: 88 Points
Made in the style of French Chard -- like a Chlabis. It has no oak, is crisp like a Sauv. Blanc but without the tart acidity or green greass of a S.B. Good alternative especially at price for a nice easy white.
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2/28/2009 - cookie7 wrote:
Nothing special. A lot of citrus. Maybe too much acidity.
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2/14/2009 - SoCal wrote: 89 Points
Darker golden color than expected. Dry Burgandy nose of lemon peel and asian pair. Palate has good weight with a salty rock like note. The backend has a nice dose of acidity on the finish. Overall Chardonay from Napa that rivals the French version for the price point. The only draw backs for me is the lack of focus with the acidity and the heat on the back end (14.2%).
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2/12/2009 - cabdrinker wrote: 91 Points
Very Good
Beautiful straw color, nose of lemon zest, pear and peach. Mouth feel is heavier than expected but citric type acids are prevalent along with wet rock and what I would describe as Dutch Apple Pie. Very balanced and nice mouth watering - long finish. Will definitely buy again.
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2/11/2009 - Hazeo wrote: 84 Points
Tasted at 3rd Corner. Good minerals and has a pretty smooth backbone but rather tart and acidic. Not unbearingly so but quite distracting.
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2/8/2009 - subtlet wrote: 86 Points
The nose contains light nectarines, and the taste of the same is there. There's a little bit of canned fruit cocktail syrup on the palatte on the nose as well. This wine is pretty light, and doesn't seem to have a lot going on. However, it is clean and well integrated.
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1/26/2009 - Tom_B wrote: 90 Points
Steely green/golden hue with sweet tropical fruit and slate notes. Vibrant acidity, although still stone fruit flavors, with a lingering acidic finish.
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12/12/2008 - neighborbill wrote: 88 Points
Nice fruit and good acid; a great food wine.
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12/6/2008 - ihavezinned wrote: 89 Points
nice balance of acidity and fruit. pineapple and butterscotch on the nose.
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12/5/2008 - vine20 wrote: 90 Points
Very pale in color with a light, citric nose. Good fruit -- some rich apple and pear -- with an extra dose of acidity and strong presence of earth and stone. The oak is noticeably missing and probably a good representation of a pure chardonnay without the wood.
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11/27/2008 - spo wrote: 87 Points
Stony and grassy, brings Sauvignon Blanc to mind. These elements are predominant and overshadow the fruit which is present but I was unable to identify specifics. Clean, crisp and pure with balanced acid.
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11/1/2008 - junglejuice wrote: 87 Points
Clearly well made, very good pure fruit, however the acidity was way overpowering and most positive aspects of the wine were overshadowed. If the acidity had been toned down it would have scored better.
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10/7/2008 - elamasters wrote: 84 Points
Just Okay. Definitely had the heavy weight body of a chardonnay, but lacked a fullness or roundness of flavor. This leaves it in sort of an odd middle-ground - not crisp, light, and refreshing, and yet not full-flavored and mouth-filling.
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6/24/2008 - vine20 wrote: 86 Points
Very pale yellow color. Some spice and light fruit -- lemon -- on the nose. The taste was richer fruits -- baked apples and pears -- with some stiff acidity and a moderate finish.
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4/18/2008 - billyg wrote: 89 Points
Apple on the nose with a little bit of earthiness. Pineapple, mango, grapefruit. Acidic finish. Thick, chewy mouthfeel. This is interesting wine. It is a Chardonnay made in a Sauvignon Blanc style except for the weight.
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4/16/2008 - hutch wrote: 89 Points
AD Trade Show: Much fuller then I expected. This wine shows the quality of the fruit being picked from this vineyard. Bordering on tropical, and great lip smacking acidity. 88-89
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3/28/2008 - cookie7 wrote: 84 Points
Lots of tropical fruit. A bit of spritz on the palate. Seems a bit out of balance.
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3/10/2008 - zblang wrote: 87 Points
A solid wine. Not a typical chardonnay in my opinion. The color was very light, more sav. blanc in appearance. Peach and honey dew melon on the nose and also in the flavor. I don't tend to like heavily oak Chardonnays, so I enjoyed this. if oak is your cup of tea, this wine will be much too light for you. Some previous notes by others noted high acidity - I did not pick up on that this time around. I can see enjoying this on a nice warm day. (all this being said, for the $35-40 price tag, I think there are better wines out there
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2/25/2008 - cookie7 wrote: 86 Points
Full of tropical fruits but acidity is a bit overwhelming.
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2/1/2008 - GreatLibations wrote: 86 Points
Pale yellow gold with aromas of brisk tropical citrus. Medium nectar with balancing acidity. Flavors are brisk and clean with citrus, tropicals, silky butter cream, mildly tart peaches and pear. The finish is long and clean with lingering tartfruit.
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8/9/2007 - DLT wrote: 91 Points
Twisted and poured. Light golden color, much lighter than the typical oaked chardonnay. On the nose, tropical fruits - pineapple, papaya, bananas with a whiff of crushed rocks and some almonds. On the palate, nicely balanced with the same tropical fruits offset by a nice acidic zing and a little minerality on the midpalate, underpinned by a creaminess, but not at all buttery. I am not a big oaked chardonnay fan at all, but I really like this. Not cheap, but worth it.
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7/23/2007 - stjames wrote: 71 Points
Needs some oak, badly. Like drinking a really acidic grapefruit juice. Should have run when I saw the srew top.
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