Notes of pineapple, Meyer lemon and gooseberry coalesce throughout, with lively acidity tempering the roundness. Hints of sea salt weave in too. Great purity of fruit, and another excellent vintage of this.
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Deep lemon color. Pronounced aromas of pineapple, lime, lemon, mango, struck match, smoke, gooseberry, salinity and a bit of vanilla. Dry, med(+) body, med alcohol, high acid, long finish. A lot of tropical and ripe citrus fruits with concentration. Palate is rich and yet fresh supported by acidity. The long and tropical finish is quite pleasant. The wine is beautiful now yet will improve over the years. I’d probably try to grab more bottles of this. 92/93+
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Agree with the abundance of tropical fruits - especially guava and pineapple. I like the reserved note of oak, nothing excessive and added a nice richness while still maintaining plenty of energy and poise. I bet this will be on a upward trajectory for a few years and plateau for a good spell.
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Lime jelly candy, guava, grapefruit zest, pineapple, toast, hint of burnt sugar, and hint of baking spice. Moderate oak is very well integrated, and gives a slight pleasant phenolic texture on the finish.
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Beautiful somewhat rustic bouquet. On the palate the Sauvignon Blanc dominates. There is a firm amount of good and fresh acidity. The wine is still very youthful.
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Pale yellow. Didn't notice the usual green hints for this vintage that others have had, visually. Good but not as good as other Bordeaux Blancs I've had from other vintages. 2020 was hot and the acidity is just not as bracing as some other years while the alcohol is a bit more it seems (even though Carbonnieux always show the same 13% ABV on the label every year). Less aromatic than I'd expect. Flavors of lemon, white grapefruit, some subtle white flower and tomato leaf. Medium plus body. Enjoyable but I wouldn't buy more from this year. Drink now.
Paired pretty well with a baked filo cup of wild mushrooms.
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Château Carbonnieux's 2020 white wine is a limpid, light golden blend of 65% Sauvignon Blanc and 35% Sémillon, aged for 10 months in a combination of French oak barriques and puncheons (25% new). Enclosed with a Diam 30 cork, this particular bottle was popped, poured and serially tasted over a three-hour period. Fully opening after the first 30 minutes, it unleashes a beautiful aromatic array of lime zest, honeycrisp apples, Anjou pears, lemongrass and white flowers. Medium-bodied, proportionately oaked and with well-integrated alcohol (13%), it delivers flavors in line with the nose, buttressed in the middle with fresh acidity and calcareous minerality. Long and lifted on the finish, this is what dry white Bordeaux is all about! Drink now-2035.
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Durian flesh, lychee and cantaloupe. Extremely perfumed on the palate. Furry, mineral and herbaceous. Oaky vanilla too, but not unbalanced. Solidly medium bodied, just lithe enough to prevent ungainliness.
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Bell pepper, melon bouquet. Rich mouthfeel on entry. White fruit and very light acid mid-palate. Round and rich low acid finish. A little flabby and too ripe. I’d drink this fairly young. Very good rather than excellent.
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Retasted after 24 hours vacuvined with 2/3 bottle full. This has gained in roundness, body and balance. Worth 92 points and will decant the next bottle for a few hours.
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65% SB, 35% Sem. Colour: light/med yelow with green tinge, bright, clear. Nose: full, fresh if opulent, driven by the Sémillon followed by the ripe SB. Taste: light/med body, rounded, v ripe, incisive SB flavours leading on to the muscat notes of the Sémillon. Good acidity and balance, long finish, dry and driven by herbaceous SB notes. Overall, a satisfying example of this wine. Well known for the interplay of the two grape varieties and shows clearly here.
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Pale, light golden yellow in color. Full, forward & fragrant nose of ripe citrus aromas of grapefruit, pear, orange & lemon peels & stone fruits with overtones of floral, flinty & mineral notes, honeysuckle, waxy, herbal & a hint of grassiness. Light bodied with a good concentration of well balanced & smooth textured, crisp, ripe fruit flavors of grapefruit, lemons/limes & apples with minerals, herbs & some chalkiness. Lingering dry finish. Drinks quite well at present & might develop with additional aging.
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Having enjoyed several past vintages (including the outstanding 2015) I had some high hopes for this wine. But sadly they were not fulfilled. It's a perfectly quaffable wine, but it really has no weight or complexity - it's almost like they've surrendered (the French, no, really?) to the Kiwis and are trying to copy Cloudy Bay.
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Has the grassy note, maybe just a touch of sulfur to it. Or maybe just a touch of earthiness showing through to it. 35% semillon. And I guess for 10 years they have been working on no reduction. So the funky sulfur not is entirely my palate these days. He was the first to use Diam. Better decanting and needs some turning in the glass he notes.
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Citrus peel and wet grass on nose after open 30 minutes. Medium plus acid, creamy and mouth watering. Oak on finish counterbalanced well by acid. Delicious with long smooth finish
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Beautiful fresh citrus and well dosed oak in the creamy bouquet. On the palate beautiful acidity and oaky flavors, a touch of sweetness and a great length.
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On the nose…lemon peel and wet stones. On the palate…acid slicing through, lemon, green apple,quite tart. Some honey, almost creamy. It’s clearly not 100% SB, but the Semillion is just a whisper. Pairs very well with cheese. And also nicely with fish.
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Aroma: melons, tropical fruits, mint, floral, grassy and herbal notes. Palate: lemons, pineapples, creamy and coats the mouth, bright acidity with a long finish. Paired nicely with a cheese pizza. Still excellent on day 12! 90
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PnP, consumed over 3 hours. Appearance: Clear, medium lemon. Nose: Clean, medium+ intensity with aromas of pear, apricot, asparagus, chamomile, and chalk. Palate: Dry, medium+ body with a slightly creamy mouth-feel, medium+ acid, medium intensity, 13.0% abv with flavors of stone fruit - pear and apricot with green vegetal notes and saline with a medium+ finish. Overall, an excellent wine with superb balance and great complexity and length.
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My favourite white Bordeaux - probably even if I could buy a more expensive one. I love it already now but many would say it would be better in some years. That’s is likely right but I personally love the freshness in the wine right now. Pineapple and exotic fruits in the noice and on the palate lovely citrus touch that keep the fruits under control.
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Orange rind, mint leaf, green tea, honeysuckle, spice and lemon peels are found in the nose and on the fresh, creamy, sweet, lush, palate. This is simply delicious. Drink from 2023-2034.
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Out of 375 and initially served near fridge temperature. Checking in on these to see if this is worth a larger purchase. On pop 'n pour this shows fresh and floral with fresh cut hay and canned peaches. Lemon zest on the palate, quite focused. Not as much depth as I would like, but this is quite young. Update: as this gets more air and warms up a bit it shows much better depth. I enjoyed this, my wife loved it. 91 or so from me.
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91-93 vvPunkte (65% Sauvignon Blanc, 35% Sémillon, 13.3% Alkohol) Subtiler Duft, Zitrusfrüchte, Gräser, weisse Blüten, Iris. Der Gaumen wirkt schlank, präzis, sehr saftig, zeigt dennoch eine gute Konzentration, bleibt frisch und ungemein saftig, die Struktur ist da, die Säure stimmt. Endet mit viel Rasse und einer wunderbaren Würze. Charaktervoll, klassisch, schön. 2023-2033+ (April/Mai 2021)
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Bright, fresh lemon, orange peel, flowers and honeysuckle come through on the nose. Creamy, sweet and fresh, with a tinge of honey along with crisp lemons on the backend, this will be easy to like on release. 91
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Good intensity on the nose, concentrated oily citrus, grapefruit and pineapple, with some warmer, prettier soft fruits too. Intense attack, nice rich feel, but also lively, intense and stimulating – it does refine towards the back palate and shows some nicely integrated oak, a little orange rind too.
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5/5/2024 - winedrinker5 wrote:
Yensan’s birthday
Everyone loves the white
Renzoni’s favorite
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4/18/2024 - ziavino wrote: 93 Points
Notes of pineapple, Meyer lemon and gooseberry coalesce throughout, with lively acidity tempering the roundness. Hints of sea salt weave in too. Great purity of fruit, and another excellent vintage of this.
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3/31/2024 - Takao wrote: 92 Points
Deep lemon color. Pronounced aromas of pineapple, lime, lemon, mango, struck match, smoke, gooseberry, salinity and a bit of vanilla. Dry, med(+) body, med alcohol, high acid, long finish. A lot of tropical and ripe citrus fruits with concentration. Palate is rich and yet fresh supported by acidity. The long and tropical finish is quite pleasant. The wine is beautiful now yet will improve over the years. I’d probably try to grab more bottles of this. 92/93+
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3/25/2024 - Dale M wrote: 91 Points
Agree with the abundance of tropical fruits - especially guava and pineapple. I like the reserved note of oak, nothing excessive and added a nice richness while still maintaining plenty of energy and poise. I bet this will be on a upward trajectory for a few years and plateau for a good spell.
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3/24/2024 - Thad Likes this wine: 91 Points
Great white bordeaux for qpr
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3/10/2024 - BottleScholar Likes this wine:
Lime jelly candy, guava, grapefruit zest, pineapple, toast, hint of burnt sugar, and hint of baking spice. Moderate oak is very well integrated, and gives a slight pleasant phenolic texture on the finish.
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3/4/2024 - spinnin_and_sippin wrote: 92 Points
very complex - lemons, pineapples, bananas foster, baking spice. always weird to drink oaked sauvignon blanc.
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2/15/2024 - Zweder Likes this wine: 92 Points
Beautiful somewhat rustic bouquet. On the palate the Sauvignon Blanc dominates. There is a firm amount of good and fresh acidity. The wine is still very youthful.
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2/10/2024 - Julien D Likes this wine: 91 Points
Gorgeous nose showing some beautiful Sauvignon Blanc notes. A lot of tropical fruit, grapefruit citrus. Gentle oak. Fresh acidity, lifted.
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2/3/2024 - SWHighlander Likes this wine: 90 Points
Pale yellow. Didn't notice the usual green hints for this vintage that others have had, visually. Good but not as good as other Bordeaux Blancs I've had from other vintages. 2020 was hot and the acidity is just not as bracing as some other years while the alcohol is a bit more it seems (even though Carbonnieux always show the same 13% ABV on the label every year). Less aromatic than I'd expect. Flavors of lemon, white grapefruit, some subtle white flower and tomato leaf. Medium plus body. Enjoyable but I wouldn't buy more from this year. Drink now.
Paired pretty well with a baked filo cup of wild mushrooms.
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1/25/2024 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 93 Points
Château Carbonnieux's 2020 white wine is a limpid, light golden blend of 65% Sauvignon Blanc and 35% Sémillon, aged for 10 months in a combination of French oak barriques and puncheons (25% new). Enclosed with a Diam 30 cork, this particular bottle was popped, poured and serially tasted over a three-hour period. Fully opening after the first 30 minutes, it unleashes a beautiful aromatic array of lime zest, honeycrisp apples, Anjou pears, lemongrass and white flowers. Medium-bodied, proportionately oaked and with well-integrated alcohol (13%), it delivers flavors in line with the nose, buttressed in the middle with fresh acidity and calcareous minerality. Long and lifted on the finish, this is what dry white Bordeaux is all about! Drink now-2035.
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1/14/2024 - JLCFan wrote: 89 Points
Durian flesh, lychee and cantaloupe. Extremely perfumed on the palate. Furry, mineral and herbaceous. Oaky vanilla too, but not unbalanced. Solidly medium bodied, just lithe enough to prevent ungainliness.
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1/14/2024 - VinhoVerde Likes this wine: 89 Points
Bell pepper, melon bouquet. Rich mouthfeel on entry. White fruit and very light acid mid-palate. Round and rich low acid finish.
A little flabby and too ripe. I’d drink this fairly young. Very good rather than excellent.
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12/31/2023 - khmark7 wrote:
Lots of oak but still very nice. This can age or drink young.
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12/20/2023 - Michael Mackenzie Likes this wine: 92 Points
Retasted after 24 hours vacuvined with 2/3 bottle full. This has gained in roundness, body and balance. Worth 92 points and will decant the next bottle for a few hours.
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12/19/2023 - Michael Mackenzie Likes this wine: 90 Points
65% SB, 35% Sem.
Colour: light/med yelow with green tinge, bright, clear.
Nose: full, fresh if opulent, driven by the Sémillon followed by the ripe SB.
Taste: light/med body, rounded, v ripe, incisive SB flavours leading on to the muscat notes of the Sémillon. Good acidity and balance, long finish, dry and driven by herbaceous SB notes.
Overall, a satisfying example of this wine. Well known for the interplay of the two grape varieties and shows clearly here.
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11/25/2023 - Vinnut Likes this wine: 91 Points
Pale, light golden yellow in color. Full, forward & fragrant nose of ripe citrus aromas of grapefruit, pear, orange & lemon peels & stone fruits with overtones of floral, flinty & mineral notes, honeysuckle, waxy, herbal & a hint of grassiness. Light bodied with a good concentration of well balanced & smooth textured, crisp, ripe fruit flavors of grapefruit, lemons/limes & apples with minerals, herbs & some chalkiness. Lingering dry finish. Drinks quite well at present & might develop with additional aging.
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11/18/2023 - Paul852 wrote: 87 Points
65/35 SB/Semillon.
Having enjoyed several past vintages (including the outstanding 2015) I had some high hopes for this wine. But sadly they were not fulfilled. It's a perfectly quaffable wine, but it really has no weight or complexity - it's almost like they've surrendered (the French, no, really?) to the Kiwis and are trying to copy Cloudy Bay.
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10/24/2023 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Has the grassy note, maybe just a touch of sulfur to it. Or maybe just a touch of earthiness showing through to it. 35% semillon. And I guess for 10 years they have been working on no reduction. So the funky sulfur not is entirely my palate these days. He was the first to use Diam. Better decanting and needs some turning in the glass he notes.
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9/11/2023 - brewnello wrote: 92 Points
Citrus peel and wet grass on nose after open 30 minutes. Medium plus acid, creamy and mouth watering. Oak on finish counterbalanced well by acid. Delicious with long smooth finish
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8/26/2023 - JimTaft Likes this wine: 93 Points
High acid, big fruit, some tannins maybe, ythen the oak. Delicious. Notes for the wine suggest drink to 2031, that would make it an 11 year old wine.
My best guess is that it will be good to 2031 and beyond, nothing better than well aged white wine !!
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8/17/2023 - BaronsPaw Likes this wine: 88 Points
Completely and utterly average
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8/2/2023 - Zweder Likes this wine: 92 Points
Beautiful fresh citrus and well dosed oak in the creamy bouquet. On the palate beautiful acidity and oaky flavors, a touch of sweetness and a great length.
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7/13/2023 - Eric Wright Likes this wine: 92 Points
On the nose…lemon peel and wet stones.
On the palate…acid slicing through, lemon, green apple,quite tart. Some honey, almost creamy. It’s clearly not 100% SB, but the Semillion is just a whisper.
Pairs very well with cheese. And also nicely with fish.
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6/21/2023 - silhouette88 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Aroma: melons, tropical fruits, mint, floral, grassy and herbal notes.
Palate: lemons, pineapples, creamy and coats the mouth, bright acidity with a long finish. Paired nicely with a cheese pizza. Still excellent on day 12! 90
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5/14/2023 - Collector1855 wrote: 88 Points
Bordeaux 2022 en Primeur and some recent vintages: A relatively simple wine with lots of grassy notes like you see in New Zealand. For the aperitif.
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4/21/2023 - prasm Likes this wine: 91 Points
PnP, consumed over 3 hours. Appearance: Clear, medium lemon. Nose: Clean, medium+ intensity with aromas of pear, apricot, asparagus, chamomile, and chalk. Palate: Dry, medium+ body with a slightly creamy mouth-feel, medium+ acid, medium intensity, 13.0% abv with flavors of stone fruit - pear and apricot with green vegetal notes and saline with a medium+ finish. Overall, an excellent wine with superb balance and great complexity and length.
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4/1/2023 - Mjuste Likes this wine: 94 Points
My favourite white Bordeaux - probably even if I could buy a more expensive one. I love it already now but many would say it would be better in some years. That’s is likely right but I personally love the freshness in the wine right now. Pineapple and exotic fruits in the noice and on the palate lovely citrus touch that keep the fruits under control.
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3/21/2023 - Jeff Leve wrote: 92 Points
Orange rind, mint leaf, green tea, honeysuckle, spice and lemon peels are found in the nose and on the fresh, creamy, sweet, lush, palate. This is simply delicious. Drink from 2023-2034.
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3/6/2023 - Zweder wrote: 92 Points
UGCB tasting Bordeaux 2020 Walkaround tasting so in general just short notes (Beurs van Berlage, Amsterdam.): Beautifully fresh fruits in the bouquet. On the palate very juicy with lovely and fresh citrus acidity.
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3/6/2023 - FransS wrote: 91 Points
The 2020 vintage UGCB tasting in Amsterdam 03/06/2023 (Amsterdam): A very fresh citrus, a certain concencentration, lovely smooth bitters;
the wine is not super refined and the finish is maybe a bit short, but the wine is very tasty.
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2/19/2023 - JCGuthrie wrote: 91 Points
Out of 375 and initially served near fridge temperature. Checking in on these to see if this is worth a larger purchase. On pop 'n pour this shows fresh and floral with fresh cut hay and canned peaches. Lemon zest on the palate, quite focused. Not as much depth as I would like, but this is quite young. Update: as this gets more air and warms up a bit it shows much better depth. I enjoyed this, my wife loved it. 91 or so from me.
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5/22/2021 - vvWine.ch wrote: 92 Points
91-93 vvPunkte (65% Sauvignon Blanc, 35% Sémillon, 13.3% Alkohol) Subtiler Duft, Zitrusfrüchte, Gräser, weisse Blüten, Iris. Der Gaumen wirkt schlank, präzis, sehr saftig, zeigt dennoch eine gute Konzentration, bleibt frisch und ungemein saftig, die Struktur ist da, die Säure stimmt. Endet mit viel Rasse und einer wunderbaren Würze. Charaktervoll, klassisch, schön. 2023-2033+ (April/Mai 2021)
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5/20/2021 - Jeff Leve wrote: 91 Points
Bright, fresh lemon, orange peel, flowers and honeysuckle come through on the nose. Creamy, sweet and fresh, with a tinge of honey along with crisp lemons on the backend, this will be easy to like on release. 91
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5/10/2021 - chatters wrote:
Airoldi - Bordeaux En Primeur 2020 (Quay Restaurant, International Passenger Terminal, Sydney): Gooseberry, cream, slight butter, sweet spice and a smidge of green orchard fruit. Bone dry with a textured mid palate has a little cream and butter.
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4/23/2021 - Shrewsram Likes this wine: 92 Points
Good intensity on the nose, concentrated oily citrus, grapefruit and pineapple, with some warmer, prettier soft fruits too. Intense attack, nice rich feel, but also lively, intense and stimulating – it does refine towards the back palate and shows some nicely integrated oak, a little orange rind too.
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