Similar to my last tasting note which was double blinded Medium plus aromas of unripe/ ripe golden apple and reductive flinty/ curry leaf aromas Medium bodied with palate of ripe apple - a little dilute IMO Nice fruit/ acid core typical of Chardonnay Medium finish dominated by acid Not a huge fan due to rather dilute palate - still a great CA Chardonnay but my least favorite of the AR offerings
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Reductive nose, a bit of plastic, but goes away with air to some degree. Somewhat green, green tobacco and apple. Acidity is not that strong, but pleasant. Nicely creamy, great texture. A bit salty.
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Double blind tasting Light gold color Medium aromas of unripe apple - pretty dominated at first with curry leaf/ gunpowder reductive aromas which did blow off with time in the glass - I initially had some radish/ root notes which threw me way off Rather light bodied with palate of lemon and dry rocks Medium acidity and medium alcohol with no phenolics I went with Gruner here but was obviously way off - Really had no idea This is rather dilute for a typical Ca Chardonnay IMO and other than the initial reductive notes it really didn't have much to say Definitely a fan of the Trout Gulch but less impressed with this offering Drink now or in next 1-2 years
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Medium lemon Aromatics medium +. Cheese rind initially with some pear below. After time in the glass, I felt this is really a match stick reduction that persists for quite a while. No new oak Palate has a medium body. Acid medium. Alcohol medium. No phenolics. Meyer lemon and rocks with a paradoxical mild mouth filling but not true lees feel. Finish has a medium length. Balanced This is one of those wines that changes in the glass over time, with surprising results Drink now but still has 1-2 years left in bottle.
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Wine Cellar - Undiscovered Gems from France, Spain, USA and beyond (Wine Cellar): (Tasted Blind): Organically farmed Chardonnay on steep wind-beaten slopes towards the San Pablo Bay (soils Clay over limestone), this wild fermented Chardonnay is a rich golden colour. An enticing bouquet of apple blossom and quarry dust that is both vibrant and intense. An initial reduction showing fresh rubber morphs quickly to mineral, dry stones and Maldon salt. It feels like an airy, ozone-like quality, coupled with salty sea kelp and vibrant citrus notes, as though one is sitting on the seashore. With a grippy texture, this is a dry, chalky, poised wine that already shows complexity but will age further, and the just-ripe lemon and chalky edges carry through to a long, lingering finish. This is an excellent wine, and I enjoyed its tension and tautness.
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Tvivelsutan oerhört snyggt och balanserat, riktigt fin mjuknad syra, fantastisk fräschör och en härlig, men ytterst subtil helhet. En amerikansk Chablis skulle man kanske kunna säga, långt ifrån smör, popcorn och annat kladd. I nosen samsas källargolv med kryddor, ingefära och en lättsinnig blommighet. Munkänslan är framförallt mineralisk, med återhållen frukt i form av perfekt grillad citron, nåt dovare som skönjs i bakgrunden och en touch av kryddorna som kommer lite därefter. Det är ändock dag 2 lite för slutet för att orka med nåt annat än ett sologig, om än ett högst njutbart dito.
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Apple, lemon curd, and stone. Glycerin quality on the palate, which despite the leanness lends this an aspect of flabbiness that hopefully will resolve with a few more years in bottle. Best starting 2024.
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(Off the list @ Passionfish.) Leans heavily (for my taste overly) towards apple juice in terms of characteristics, and darn simple apple juice at that. Short, and lacking acidity to the point of being nearly flabby. Very disappointing. I abandoned purchases of this a few vintages ago and see no reason to reconsider.
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Straw yellow in the glass. This didn't seem to give up much until the last glass on day 2 at which point I got a hint of something tropical but much more green apple dominated. Not particularly lively but enjoyable. Will try and wait a while on my other bottle.
Not rating at this point.
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From Coravin, straw yellow in colour and not particularly expressive on the nose. Buttery and slightly flabby but very nice all the same and not sweet and oak kept in check, but could do with a touch more acidity to bring a little freshness. May well have suffered as a BTG impression and might have been a slightly better proposition with some air / time in the glass.
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Beautiful stuff but needs time to coalesce. Delicious and pure, but only a shadow of the Trout Gulch 2019 in my opinion, similarly tasty but with less vivacity or general character.
Nose is mostly closed now. Night 1 showed vague minerality, a bit of smoky pepper and some earthy lentil, almost like a Grüner. Night 2 showed some tropical fruit, but still really vague and it'll need time to blossom. Basically no oak noticeable on the nose- by night two I might have blinded it as a Chablis. Nose was kinda strange- at the winery I remember a powerful, vivid apple tone, like super fresh apple juice with a lemon bar, super expressive nose. Not as present here, this is WAY more austere.
Palate was a little more giving, with lemon zest, seashell, salinity, Chablis style, the works. The acidity was lovely, although if I'm honest it was a little less energetic than I expected, or rather than I remembered from my fantastic tasting at their winery. A persistent and well-integrated acidity but never truly electric. That's totally fine, but combined with the subdued fruit, the whole experience was just kinda quiet, a whisper of beauty rather than something engaging enough to merit $40+. I did really like that the acidity wasn't aggressively tart depsite the intensity, but it needed more expressivity overall (especially with the fruit.)
But yeah, this will improve very easily. That fruit is waiting to pop out, and it has more than enough energy to go the distance. I'd love to try this with five or even 10 years on it.
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A very elegant classy & somewhat subdued Watson in 2019. A bit less compelling then previous vintages. Still better than many CA Chards for my palate. 91+
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On the attack - slight sweetness? That was my first impression. But it could just be its very floral nature that tricked me. Then after that I initially got a slightly watery mid, that later filled in nicely. But it's a pretty subdued and citrusy wine, but not highly acidic (if that makes sense). Slight mineral notes and no rough edges. Elegant is the word that comes to mind, but if I can fault it, it feels like it's only running on 7 of out 8 cylinders. Rather nice.
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Tasted over 2 hrs -translucent light gold -low key but pretty citrus slightly floral -med acidity gives just a little structure and zing to the otherwise soft-textured med/med- weight mid-palate with some faint mineral citrus and perhaps a bit of honeyed quinine on the long finish -less Chablis-esque than the Trout Gulch yet distinctively cool climate and elegant
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Like the freshest apple juice with some lemony and lime goodness. Excellent if not quite as concentrated as the best vintages. Really open after a few hours and as it warmed. Easy buy each year.
Save the rest for 2-3 years.
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3/26/2024 - dsamuel wrote: 89 Points
Similar to my last tasting note which was double blinded
Medium plus aromas of unripe/ ripe golden apple and reductive flinty/ curry leaf aromas
Medium bodied with palate of ripe apple - a little dilute IMO
Nice fruit/ acid core typical of Chardonnay
Medium finish dominated by acid
Not a huge fan due to rather dilute palate - still a great CA Chardonnay but my least favorite of the AR offerings
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1/1/2024 - jsebiri wrote:
Very nice w an hour of air, a more Burgundian than Cali chardonnay, enjoyable.Well made.
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12/8/2023 - Srenix wrote: 89 Points
Mycket bättre än sist. Mycket har hänt på 10 månader.
Mer koncentrerad frukt där syran inte ligger ovanpå allt bestämt.
Citrusdrivet absolut men hittar även nötter, halm och brioche. Balanserat torrt och precist. Tror det är i sitt ”drinking window”.
Perfekt till torskrygg med sandefjordsås och primörer.
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11/10/2023 - Robjes Likes this wine: 89 Points
Reductive nose, a bit of plastic, but goes away with air to some degree. Somewhat green, green tobacco and apple. Acidity is not that strong, but pleasant. Nicely creamy, great texture. A bit salty.
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10/22/2023 - dsamuel wrote: 89 Points
Double blind tasting
Light gold color
Medium aromas of unripe apple - pretty dominated at first with curry leaf/ gunpowder reductive aromas which did blow off with time in the glass - I initially had some radish/ root notes which threw me way off
Rather light bodied with palate of lemon and dry rocks
Medium acidity and medium alcohol with no phenolics
I went with Gruner here but was obviously way off - Really had no idea
This is rather dilute for a typical Ca Chardonnay IMO and other than the initial reductive notes it really didn't have much to say
Definitely a fan of the Trout Gulch but less impressed with this offering
Drink now or in next 1-2 years
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10/15/2023 - S.Wayne Likes this wine: 90 Points
Medium lemon
Aromatics medium +. Cheese rind initially with some pear below. After time in the glass, I felt this is really a match stick reduction that persists for quite a while. No new oak
Palate has a medium body. Acid medium. Alcohol medium. No phenolics. Meyer lemon and rocks with a paradoxical mild mouth filling but not true lees feel.
Finish has a medium length. Balanced
This is one of those wines that changes in the glass over time, with surprising results
Drink now but still has 1-2 years left in bottle.
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5/26/2023 - rlove wrote: 91 Points
Attractive notes of apple and stone with a bit of citrus undertone. Crisp, good acidity, but also a surprising weight to the body. Good.
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5/21/2023 - chablis28 wrote: 91 Points
A nice solid Watson but continues to be less compelling than earlier vintages.
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5/10/2023 - rikipedia Likes this wine: 92 Points
Wine Cellar - Undiscovered Gems from France, Spain, USA and beyond (Wine Cellar): (Tasted Blind): Organically farmed Chardonnay on steep wind-beaten slopes towards the San Pablo Bay (soils Clay over limestone), this wild fermented Chardonnay is a rich golden colour. An enticing bouquet of apple blossom and quarry dust that is both vibrant and intense. An initial reduction showing fresh rubber morphs quickly to mineral, dry stones and Maldon salt. It feels like an airy, ozone-like quality, coupled with salty sea kelp and vibrant citrus notes, as though one is sitting on the seashore. With a grippy texture, this is a dry, chalky, poised wine that already shows complexity but will age further, and the just-ripe lemon and chalky edges carry through to a long, lingering finish. This is an excellent wine, and I enjoyed its tension and tautness.
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2/16/2023 - MagnusBjorkman Likes this wine: 90 Points
Tvivelsutan oerhört snyggt och balanserat, riktigt fin mjuknad syra, fantastisk fräschör och en härlig, men ytterst subtil helhet. En amerikansk Chablis skulle man kanske kunna säga, långt ifrån smör, popcorn och annat kladd. I nosen samsas källargolv med kryddor, ingefära och en lättsinnig blommighet. Munkänslan är framförallt mineralisk, med återhållen frukt i form av perfekt grillad citron, nåt dovare som skönjs i bakgrunden och en touch av kryddorna som kommer lite därefter. Det är ändock dag 2 lite för slutet för att orka med nåt annat än ett sologig, om än ett högst njutbart dito.
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2/3/2023 - thunberg wrote: 89 Points
Served blind, tingeling feeling, oaky, harsh, not in balance but still very good. I'd say wait a year or two.
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10/4/2022 - rlove wrote: 90 Points
Apple, lemon curd, and stone. Glycerin quality on the palate, which despite the leanness lends this an aspect of flabbiness that hopefully will resolve with a few more years in bottle. Best starting 2024.
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5/10/2022 - DenisLee wrote:
It was just okay. Nothing special
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5/5/2022 - slanum Does not like this wine: 79 Points
(Off the list @ Passionfish.) Leans heavily (for my taste overly) towards apple juice in terms of characteristics, and darn simple apple juice at that. Short, and lacking acidity to the point of being nearly flabby. Very disappointing. I abandoned purchases of this a few vintages ago and see no reason to reconsider.
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3/28/2022 - slulkin wrote:
Straw yellow in the glass. This didn't seem to give up much until the last glass on day 2 at which point I got a hint of something tropical but much more green apple dominated. Not particularly lively but enjoyable. Will try and wait a while on my other bottle.
Not rating at this point.
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3/26/2022 - coremill wrote: flawed
Marked by stinky sulfurous reduction. Didn’t clear up over 90 minutes.
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2/8/2022 - 560 B&W Likes this wine: 92 Points
Still very young.
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1/13/2022 - fussyeater wrote: 89 Points
From Coravin, straw yellow in colour and not particularly expressive on the nose. Buttery and slightly flabby but very nice all the same and not sweet and oak kept in check, but could do with a touch more acidity to bring a little freshness. May well have suffered as a BTG impression and might have been a slightly better proposition with some air / time in the glass.
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1/5/2022 - Tony Ling Likes this wine: 94 Points
PNP into Schott Zwiesel Universal glass (“Flower” day): medium golden to the eyes.
Reduction and popcorn notes. No oak influence.
Clean and persistent. Great minerality. Really amazing with food.
93-94 points.
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12/20/2021 - sid_loves_wine Likes this wine: 92 Points
Beautiful stuff but needs time to coalesce. Delicious and pure, but only a shadow of the Trout Gulch 2019 in my opinion, similarly tasty but with less vivacity or general character.
Nose is mostly closed now. Night 1 showed vague minerality, a bit of smoky pepper and some earthy lentil, almost like a Grüner. Night 2 showed some tropical fruit, but still really vague and it'll need time to blossom. Basically no oak noticeable on the nose- by night two I might have blinded it as a Chablis. Nose was kinda strange- at the winery I remember a powerful, vivid apple tone, like super fresh apple juice with a lemon bar, super expressive nose. Not as present here, this is WAY more austere.
Palate was a little more giving, with lemon zest, seashell, salinity, Chablis style, the works. The acidity was lovely, although if I'm honest it was a little less energetic than I expected, or rather than I remembered from my fantastic tasting at their winery. A persistent and well-integrated acidity but never truly electric. That's totally fine, but combined with the subdued fruit, the whole experience was just kinda quiet, a whisper of beauty rather than something engaging enough to merit $40+. I did really like that the acidity wasn't aggressively tart depsite the intensity, but it needed more expressivity overall (especially with the fruit.)
But yeah, this will improve very easily. That fruit is waiting to pop out, and it has more than enough energy to go the distance. I'd love to try this with five or even 10 years on it.
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10/8/2021 - 560 B&W Likes this wine: 92 Points
Too young, but excellent. Will probably drink like 1er. Cru Chablis in another year or two. 12.2%
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9/21/2021 - chablis28 wrote: 91 Points
A very elegant classy & somewhat subdued Watson in 2019. A bit less compelling then previous vintages. Still better than many CA Chards for my palate. 91+
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5/11/2021 - S-F wrote: 92 Points
On the attack - slight sweetness? That was my first impression. But it could just be its very floral nature that tricked me. Then after that I initially got a slightly watery mid, that later filled in nicely. But it's a pretty subdued and citrusy wine, but not highly acidic (if that makes sense). Slight mineral notes and no rough edges. Elegant is the word that comes to mind, but if I can fault it, it feels like it's only running on 7 of out 8 cylinders. Rather nice.
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4/14/2021 - Cote d'Or wrote:
Tasted over 2 hrs
-translucent light gold
-low key but pretty citrus slightly floral
-med acidity gives just a little structure and zing to the otherwise soft-textured med/med- weight mid-palate with some faint mineral citrus and perhaps a bit of honeyed quinine on the long finish
-less Chablis-esque than the Trout Gulch yet distinctively cool climate and elegant
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1/16/2021 - acidqueen wrote: 91 Points
Very easy to drink right now. Smooth, apple, nut and salt. Not as crisp as some years, but still a lovely version
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12/11/2020 - Justin S Likes this wine: 91 Points
Like the freshest apple juice with some lemony and lime goodness. Excellent if not quite as concentrated as the best vintages. Really open after a few hours and as it warmed. Easy buy each year.
Save the rest for 2-3 years.
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11/27/2020 - dchapman100@gmail.com Likes this wine:
Very good, but will save the next bottle for a year or two. Medium body with notes of tart apple and pear.
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