Another great bottle, the 2002's of this are truly freaky as they age so beautifully. Lots of butterscotch and mature notes. This is not shy but will appeal to those who appreciate aged bottles, although this one is probably now on the decline but still very serviceable
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I love opening aged bottles to friends from overseas as i can not think of better ageing American Chard than WH. Kudos to Stephen for making beautiful long lived wines. i wish my white burgs would age like this. We were rewarded with a classic bottle that just got better with air. Superb.
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Deep golden color with the slightest green tinge. Creamed corn on the nose and a bit of earth. Very rich, opulent and fleshy on the palate but still holding on to enough acid and zing on the finish. Drink now.
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Amazing honeyed color, with a deep, almost funky nose of sweet honeysuckle, lemon rind, and a bare seam of vanilla. Balanced by enough acidity and finished clean and dry. Really delicious wine -- make sure to serve it room temp, as all the weight and flavors emerge.
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Deep golden color. Aromas of lees, roasted nuts, browned butter and toasted oak. Weighty and rich, but with sufficient acidity to finish fresh. In fact it finishes fresher than most Cali Chard. The palate shows loads of tropical fruit, lees and toasted oak. Big and rich. Solid, or better than solid, just not particularly my style. This bottle suggests to me that this wine had already peaked and I would recommend visiting bottles if you still have some in your cellar.
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THis is great stuff and I don't really like chard. Aging nicely with the oak fading and the fruit still strong. Need to put more of this away from other years.
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Every bit as good as the one last year. There was a touch of citrus to go with the pears, honey and roasted nuts noted last year plus the stones were more prominent and were both riveting and refreshing. Love this chardonnay!
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Started slow, after a few minutes in the glass really exploded into a riveting chardonnay. Pears, honey and nut roasted in butter gives way to flowery herbs on stones. Terrific almost oily palate of complex fruit that finishes with clear minerality and fine acid.
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Lovely soft fruit, honeysuckles, pear, lemony notes but with good acidity. Drinking beautifully but will go for a while yet. Mickey and Jin loved it, as did we, as always.
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1st glass, Birthday dinner at Schwa, the rest consumed at home a couple hours later. My first Cuvee Alyce, remarkably similar to the Cahill Lane Chardonnay from the same vintage but with more complexity and nuance. Roasted nuts, brown butter, lemon, hints of herbs (pretty sure tarragon) in the nose. Pure pleasure on the palate, oily with tons of minerality and a wealth of tropical fruits that seem somewhat restrained at the moment. Super stuff, will let my remaining bottles rest, maybe one bottle a year starting in 2008.
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Tasted again after my first note 5 months ago. Color is medium gold with a hint of green. Nose shows apple, sap, and toasty oak. On the palate, there is an intense concentration of Chardonnay fruit framed by spice and significant (but well-incorporated) oak. Acidity balances nicely at the finish. I'll keep my remaining bottles to see what develops over time.
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Very good Caifornia chardonnay, but suffered in comparison to the 2001 Kongsgaard opened next to it. Color is greenish gold. Nose show butter, apple, an herbaceous quality, and oak. On the palate, again there was apple and some spice, but also an herbaceous quality. Seemed significantly more oaky than I remebered it before. Still, an excellent California chard, just not as good as the Kongsgaard.
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Just beautiful. Pale white/golden color. Pear on the nose. Butter, apple on first approach, with strong mid-palate and finish. This is not a butter oak chardonnay, but much more refined. The finish goes no for a good 15-20 seconds. I've not had some of the more expensive Cal. Chardonnays, but this is clearly one of the best I've had.
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This is whatr Chard should be - cohesive, restrained and smooth. This is nothing like the typical overoaked, buttery chards that are so common from Calif. This represents a real value when compared to the rest of the high end chards that are its peers.
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Pale gold in color. Beautiful nose of minerals and pears. Minerals come through on the palate. Nice acidity, great body and long finish. This is my first experience with this producer but I would expect this wine to continue to improve for another couple of years and drink well through 2010, maybe 2012.
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Wow, this is really big. Unfined/unfiltered and as murky as any chard in recent memory. Notes of Honeysuckle, apple and orange. Had to check the bottle to confirm the high alcohol. It was definitely noticeable. Wine consumed at about 60 degrees. Opened within the week of shipping so may have still been struggling to settle.
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7/19/2020 - bon vivant wrote: 92 Points
Another great bottle, the 2002's of this are truly freaky as they age so beautifully. Lots of butterscotch and mature notes. This is not shy but will appeal to those who appreciate aged bottles, although this one is probably now on the decline but still very serviceable
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4/14/2017 - bon vivant wrote:
I love opening aged bottles to friends from overseas as i can not think of better ageing American Chard than WH. Kudos to Stephen for making beautiful long lived wines. i wish my white burgs would age like this. We were rewarded with a classic bottle that just got better with air. Superb.
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10/14/2011 - flyinburrito wrote: 90 Points
Deep golden color with the slightest green tinge. Creamed corn on the nose and a bit of earth. Very rich, opulent and fleshy on the palate but still holding on to enough acid and zing on the finish. Drink now.
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2/28/2010 - John McCabe wrote: 94 Points
Really luxurious Chard; a lot of complexity. Not too much oak, not too buttery, but deep penetrating flavors; quite a gem.
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6/9/2009 - Crae wrote:
Amazing honeyed color, with a deep, almost funky nose of sweet honeysuckle, lemon rind, and a bare seam of vanilla. Balanced by enough acidity and finished clean and dry. Really delicious wine -- make sure to serve it room temp, as all the weight and flavors emerge.
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3/24/2009 - Punshon wrote:
Deep golden color. Aromas of lees, roasted nuts, browned butter and toasted oak. Weighty and rich, but with sufficient acidity to finish fresh. In fact it finishes fresher than most Cali Chard. The palate shows loads of tropical fruit, lees and toasted oak. Big and rich. Solid, or better than solid, just not particularly my style. This bottle suggests to me that this wine had already peaked and I would recommend visiting bottles if you still have some in your cellar.
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12/26/2008 - Mr T wrote:
others enjoyed, but I got too much oak. perhaps a decant was the way to go.
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10/26/2008 - sarciero wrote: 95 Points
May be the best California chardonnay I've ever had. Smooth as silk. What oak was there was smooth and buttery but not omnipresent. A fantastic wine.
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5/12/2008 - Mr T wrote:
THis is great stuff and I don't really like chard. Aging nicely with the oak fading and the fruit still strong. Need to put more of this away from other years.
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1/7/2008 - thomaskeil wrote: 93 Points
Every bit as good as the one last year. There was a touch of citrus to go with the pears, honey and roasted nuts noted last year plus the stones were more prominent and were both riveting and refreshing. Love this chardonnay!
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7/20/2007 - cortoncharlie wrote: 94 Points
Lovely wine. Big, bold and voluptuous.
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12/18/2006 - thomaskeil wrote: 93 Points
Started slow, after a few minutes in the glass really exploded into a riveting chardonnay. Pears, honey and nut roasted in butter gives way to flowery herbs on stones. Terrific almost oily palate of complex fruit that finishes with clear minerality and fine acid.
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9/16/2006 - dougie wrote: 95 Points
An Amazing Chardonnay! Incredible QPR ($32)! Creamy, explosive and balanced at the same time. The flavors go on and on.
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3/26/2006 - Crae wrote: 94 Points
Lovely soft fruit, honeysuckles, pear, lemony notes but with good acidity. Drinking beautifully but will go for a while yet. Mickey and Jin loved it, as did we, as always.
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3/21/2006 - prafferty wrote: 95 Points
1st glass, Birthday dinner at Schwa, the rest consumed at home a couple hours later. My first Cuvee Alyce, remarkably similar to the Cahill Lane Chardonnay from the same vintage but with more complexity and nuance. Roasted nuts, brown butter, lemon, hints of herbs (pretty sure tarragon) in the nose. Pure pleasure on the palate, oily with tons of minerality and a wealth of tropical fruits that seem somewhat restrained at the moment. Super stuff, will let my remaining bottles rest, maybe one bottle a year starting in 2008.
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2/5/2006 - Thilo wrote: 93 Points
Tasted again after my first note 5 months ago. Color is medium gold with a hint of green. Nose shows apple, sap, and toasty oak. On the palate, there is an intense concentration of Chardonnay fruit framed by spice and significant (but well-incorporated) oak. Acidity balances nicely at the finish. I'll keep my remaining bottles to see what develops over time.
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12/7/2005 - steffenpelz wrote: 95 Points
2nd Annual Cellar Treasures Tasting (Long) (Asti Trattoria): Funky chardonnay nose. Doughy, buttered Popcorn, long finish. Exceptional California Chard with what I think will be a long ageing window.
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8/20/2005 - Thilo wrote: 92 Points
Very good Caifornia chardonnay, but suffered in comparison to the 2001 Kongsgaard opened next to it. Color is greenish gold. Nose show butter, apple, an herbaceous quality, and oak. On the palate, again there was apple and some spice, but also an herbaceous quality. Seemed significantly more oaky than I remebered it before. Still, an excellent California chard, just not as good as the Kongsgaard.
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7/22/2005 - Tom E wrote: 93 Points
Just beautiful. Pale white/golden color. Pear on the nose. Butter, apple on first approach, with strong mid-palate and finish. This is not a butter oak chardonnay, but much more refined. The finish goes no for a good 15-20 seconds. I've not had some of the more expensive Cal. Chardonnays, but this is clearly one of the best I've had.
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7/3/2005 - ragtop1967 wrote: 94 Points
This is whatr Chard should be - cohesive, restrained and smooth. This is nothing like the typical overoaked, buttery chards that are so common from Calif. This represents a real value when compared to the rest of the high end chards that are its peers.
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5/2/2005 - cassetta wrote: 96 Points
Pale gold in color. Beautiful nose of minerals and pears. Minerals come through on the palate. Nice acidity, great body and long finish. This is my first experience with this producer but I would expect this wine to continue to improve for another couple of years and drink well through 2010, maybe 2012.
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3/12/2005 - ragtop1967 wrote: 93 Points
Wow, this is really big. Unfined/unfiltered and as murky as any chard in recent memory. Notes of Honeysuckle, apple and orange. Had to check the bottle to confirm the high alcohol. It was definitely noticeable. Wine consumed at about 60 degrees. Opened within the week of shipping so may have still been struggling to settle.
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