In a stunning place - pure bright stone and citrus fruit that has a golden sheen to it with hints of pine, spice, and saffron. Deep and profound, but with surprising energy and lift on the finish. These definitely haven't given up and are marvellous with lighter game birds or pork stuffed with dried fruit.
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Clear, deep gold color. Aromas are brown sugar, butterscotch, apple, and sweet spice. Tastes are granny smith apple, brown sugar, caramel, and herbal notes. Long and sour finish.
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Nose is big with butterscotch, wood, vanilla and some herbs. The palate is similar but the wood and butterscotch combine with a resin or chemical/matchstick aspect that is just nasty. Finish is just the bitter chemical flavor. Nose - 4/6, Palate - 3/6, Finish - 2/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 0/2 = 9/20.
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Sunday Dinner on the Beach (Yin Yang Coastal, Ting Kau Village, Tsuen Wan, Kowloon, Hong Kong): Light yellow gold colour - no sign of age. Nose of matured oak, lemon and clam shells with seaweed-covered rocks on the shore. Palate is is rich, opulent, oaky, rounded and harmonious, with lots of roasted lemons and enough acidity to keep it very fresh. Powerful and muscular but very lean-muscled. Big reverberance on the end. Always a delight and a crowd-pleaser. Totally blew out a Gaja Gaia & Rey Chardonnay 2009 that costs over 4 times the price.
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Life has been kind to this wine since I last drank it and really enjoyed it 3 years ago. Lovely fresh and vibrant straw gold colour. Nose is deep, sweet slightly sweaty straw and lots of variations on sun-dried lemons. Palate is quite tannic but nicely structured to showcase the burnt lemon skin, taut oyster shell and lightly caramel mid-palate. Back end is super roasted charcoal grill lemon skins and a ton of lemon juicy fresh acidity.
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Rich aromatic nose with lots of crackers and minerals. Pear tart with yellow fruit and hints of white flowers. Full bodied, very rich flavours. Overall great wine with beautiful finish.
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Medium gold color. PNP, drank 1+ glasses over an hour. This was pretty similar to the bottle I had a year ago. Nose shows lemon, citrus, oak, and some minerality. The palate still has some good acidity to go with the lemon and pear flavors, moderate oak, and a nice finish. This pulls everything together pretty well. Last bottle and I think a good time to finish. 90+ to 91pts.
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Mid yellow colour. Rich nose - toast, oak, vanilla and cinnamon. Similar flavour with rich brioche toastiness and ripe fruit. Long finish with good acid balance. Very good and enjoyable. Drank over two hours. Still has a lot of life left in it.
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Nose: Deep aromas of Creme Brulee and ripe lemons. Palate: Unfortunately this bottle seems flat as the acid levels are nowhere near the same as last bottle tasted on 8/15/11. The flavor profile is similar with the lemon and apple, but in the absence of ample acidity this effort is dissapointing in a comparative sense (last score was 92 pts.). Nonetheless a solid Chard but I hope my last bottle will yield better results.
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Medium gold color. Pnp, drank 2 glasses over an hour. Nose is showing more oak than previous bottles, very toasted, lemon, nutty, butterbrickle, citrus with just a bit of tropical fruit. The palate is full, round, energetic, oak, lemon, citrus, burnt rubber, medium plus finish. The finish was a bit sharp on day two. This was better day one than day two.
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Boxing Day Long Lunch at Top Deck, Aberdeen Marina, Hong Kong (Top Deck, Jumbo Floating Restaurant, Aberdeen Marina, Hong Kong): Deepening silver-gold colour. Rich, buttery nose with ripe, succulent green and orange melon. Palate is very deep and rich, oak-framed citrus freshness. Good long finish but I find this lies a bit heavy and foursquare on the tongue. On the day I preferred the higher-toned freshness of the Ch. Montelena Chardonnay 2009.....but most people preferred the Ridge for its more hedonistic richness.
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Floral nose - white flowers and a little honeysuckle with a hint of orange and lime rinds. Nice balance of white peach, pineapple, and candied orange on the palate. Even a little sugared fennel. Bright acid and a long finish. I think in the drinking window right now.
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Lovely nose of fully mature chardonnay and some butter, but also some minerality poking through. Full bodied but balanced mouthfeel. Just a bit tiring in the end, but very good with food.
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Had with fresh Eastern shore oysters, Green apple, pear, some toast and hints of lemon butter. Blalanced and understated elegance, that is not overdone like so many of it's couterparts. Drink over the next few years!
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Hi-End Cabs/Bordeaux Blends Offline, Blind ($100+) (Minneapolis): Medium gold color. Lovely nose of toasted oak, apples, citrus-lemon, with minerals. The palate is delightfully rich, round, and full with consistent fruit, mineral and great balance. Restrained oak and a long energetic finish make this just outstanding.
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I have experienced significant bottle variation in recent months but this was one of the really good ones......briefly decanted then drank slowly over the course on an evening. Lovely bright gold colour. Nose of expensive lemon soap, crushed roasted lemons, unobtrusive oak and honeycomb. Palate is warm, golden, rounded and mouthcoating with honeyed tones but then quickly counterpointed by delicious lemon meringue pie, crushed roasted whole lemons, crushed rocks and lots of minerals. The alcohol now seems to be getting tamed and is no longer as hot as when this wine was younger......it is still no mistaking a big Chardonnay by old world standards but it is no oak monster and it is now really starting to find its proper proportions. Very good indeed and still has tons of time to improve, certainly over the next couple of years.
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Surprise (Simen): Straw yellow. Tropical fruit, vanilla and canned pineapple on the nose. Fruity, but far too much oak for me - like chewing wood, and with an unpleasant, metallic aftertaste. Scored between 82 and 88 p within the group
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Bright, transluscent yellow. Spicy, tropical nose. Pineapple, lemon, and more spice on the palate, with a clean, fresh finish. Did not get the heavy oak that others commented about. Very nice.
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California Chardonnay (John's House): Spice, buttery note, lemon and floral notes. Nice fruit and use of oak on this wine as always with Ridge. I have never had a bad Ridge Chardonnay.
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The 12th of 13 bottles, third and likely last note. Consistent with the 4/11 note, it appears the freshness of youth has gone away and the elegant charming chardonnay of 2009 is gone. Fruit has receeded, and the toasty oak too prevelent. Still a gracious mouthfeel, just not aging gracefully. My guess is to ignore these for a year of so and see if it comes out the other side of a dumb phase.
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Weeknight Wine Tasting (Bistro 7, Philadelphia PA): syrup oak dominates the profile, but there is also some lush ripe red apple and nice clove notes. although prominent, the oak is well integrated and does not ruin the wine -- those who talk down the CA Chard style could give this a try to understand what an oaked Chardonnay can be even at a reasonably budget-friendly price point. med (+) finish.
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Survery Of New World Wines (Bistro 7 (7 N. 3rd St., Philadelphia)): I know these Ridge Chardonnarys have a reputation of being oak bombs, and so obviously this is not going to be everyone's cup of tea. In my view, it is important to clarify a point here. This is not your typical cheaply made California oak monster Chardonnay. This is oaky, yes, but is a well made and enjoyable wine. It is pretty buttery and has some good viscosity. Well balanced all in all. The wine makes no apologies for what it is, and it is understandable if this is not your taste, but I quite enjoy it and it is a nice value.
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Nose: Really nice slate mineral aromas with lemon, walnut, and oak aromas underneath the mineral. Impressive nose. Palate: Up front acid and lemons in equal measure with some apple and oak traces on the medium length finish. Very balanced effort in my view and well worth the $23 sale price paid. Great QPR based on the sale price. Will probably let my next of two bottles sleep for about a year and then revisit. In between 91 and 92 points but the balance pushes it up a notch. Really nice effort from Ridge.
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A creamy nose of lemon and almonds with a fairly short lived palate of lemon, grapefruit, oaky vanilla and a bit of an alcohol hit. Nowhere near as good as the price suggests, in fact I have had Chardonnay half the price which have made a better impression.
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Popped and poured.......lovely semi-deep gold colour....nose is kerosine, pine-flavoured disenfectant and hand-crushed roasted whole lemons. Palate is overpowering pine resin (if oak can produce pine resin....). Very hot finish. Not on par with previous bottles from the same case.....maybe we were both having an off night....on the second night the oakiness has toned down and a bit more of that lovely whole crushed baked lemons was more evident and, although it then continued to improve, there remained something awkward about this particular bottle.....maybe it needs an hour's decant at this stage in its life. That would definitely have helped this particular bottle.
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Medium gold color. The nose starts off with a rush of minerals, and as it opens shows some nice distinct fruits of pear, green apple, and lemon, and then develops a mushroom earthiness as well. The palate is reasonably crisp with medium acid and weight and consistent fruits from the nose, loads of minerality, and finally at the end some modest oak. This is hardly an oak bomb as some others as have mentioned. There is no significant oak on the nose and the palate shows quite restrained oak IMHO. This is well balanced and drinking well. I do strongly recommend giving this some air.
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Had it after Dauvissat Forest 2005, and on the nose the Ridge had a restrained, almost elegant expression of Chardonnay, not that far from the Dajvissat, but on the palate it was double as hefty. You can clearly taste the US origin and the extra alcohol. This one is at 14,7%!
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Wedding Anniversary Dinner (The Library, Crown Wine Cellars, Hong Kong): Rather deeper gold colour than the Fontaine Gagnard 1er Cru Les Murees that preceded it. Nose is lemony in several lemon dimensions and then mushroomy in a good way. Palate is rich lemon meringue, crushed roasted whole lemons, crushed rocks and lots of minerals. Heady finish as there is quite a lot of alcohol but not enough to unbalance things. The finish is long and with a satisfying persistent lemon juice note. This paired beautifully with lemon-infused wild mushroom risotto....as I had hoped. On the night I was increasingly struggling with a cold and I may well have under-pointed this wine even though I scored it higher than previous bottles I've drank. It is developing very nicely.
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Drank over a leisurely Saturday evening at home. No detailed notes but this was a more citrussy and less oaky character than other bottles. Full-bodied but light on its feet. Good minerals and crushed rock palate, lightly honeyed. Good roasted lemons and fresh crushed limes finish. Considerable length and some resonance on the finale. No evidence of heat in this particular bottle.
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Still more than enough of a woodsy oak in the nose. Seemingly spiced wood and confirmed on the palate too. Starting to take on some of a creamier nature on the palate, which is must more inviting. Another two years and this will be screaming.
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Matt Scott, in a tasting note below with his comment re: spice. For me, rich fruit and spicy, crisp toasted oak. Thankfully (for my palate) there is not much in the way of buttery, mouth-puckering malo. I don't get a lot of the "oyster" or "minerals". Big fruit / big oak. This is close to my nirvana in a Cali chard. This is however a Chard on the big side with the aforementioned oak, and becomes bigger (and perhaps less crisp) the longer it's open. My other note of caution relates to the ABV, which gives a slight bite on the finish. Not a summer sipper. I think I'll save my next bottle to have around a winter campfire.
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Let breathe for an hour. Lovely golden colour. There's a lot of spice character, with apple, oyster shell, mineral and citrus. Medium finish and a gorgeous body. Multidimensional and very ready. Drink now - 2016.
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Looking back at my notes of 16 months ago, I may have missed the boat a bit on this one. Rather than improving as I had thought, the fruit has withdrawn a bit leaving mostly ripe pears and pineapple. The toasty oak is less harsh, but somewhat to the hot side, and not integrated fully. So rather than moving to special, we are falling back toward more ordinary.
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Drank at a very leisurely pace over a mellow Saturday evening. Very oaky and hot at first but progressively toned down to milk chocolate covered honeycomb candy (Crunchie Bar in the UK) with roasted whole lemons and some mineral aftertone. Heavy alcohol....that's the main rogue element. This seems to be putting on weight with age but is still disjointed and I can't see the path it is likely to evolve along......so wait a while before trying again.
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Two words: OAK BOMB. The oak overwhelmed the fruit to the point where it had a bitter aftertaste. Perhaps this needed time to better integrate, but I guess I expect a 2007 to be enjoyable, if not at peak.
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Multi layered. Tropical fruits up front with full bodied and well balanced burnt oak on the back layers. If anything more acidity than I would have anticipated.
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Nez typiquement californien: melon de miel, poire, un peu d'élevage. Bouche tres grasse, beurrée sans être lourde. Longue finale a la fois riche mais tendue. Excellent.
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(Second Review) Round and warm Cali Chardonnay, with clearly noticeable but well-integrated oak influence in the foreground and mellow apple/pear/green melon flavours also showing through. I didn't note this on the last bottle, but this time I'm finding the alcohol level a little distracting and overpowering...not used to this kind of hotter profile in a white.
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Powerful vanilla oak on the nose, with some ripe tropical fruit emerging later. Tasted next to a 2008 Puligny and initially Mrs H thought the palate was quite Burgundian - with more time in the glass, the oak on the palate became much more noticeable. A real alcoholic kick. Thoroughly enjoyable and went beautifully with lobster. Opened three hours in advance (but not decanted) - drinking very well now but will keep and develop for a few years yet - personally I'd drink now tho'.
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Drank prior to and after our Christmas turkey lunch. Straw gold colour. Nose of honeysuckle, beeswax polish, green apples, Vaseline, nice rich ripe canteloupe melon and Crunchie bar. Palate is thick slightly oily mouthfeel with a lot of toasty oak framed by lemons and limes and Granny Smiths apples acidity. The oak wins out on the back of the palate but it ends with a rich butterscotch and slightly overripe bananas finale. Not my normal style of Chardonnay but well put together and very enjoyable if you take it at a leisurely pace. Interesting to see how it will evolve over the next 2-3 years, which I suspect is its longevity window.
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Solid wine but a bit disjointed. Alternated b/t butterscotch and oak and and lemon. It was just a little muddled. Experimented with diff. temps but didn't change the balance. Perhaps it just needs a bit more time? Hold next one for a year.
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Apple and butter on the nose. Pineapple, little flabby, little wet dog. Opened so long ago I don't remember being so disappointed. Will have to try some more.
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Very balanced chardonnay with hints of smoke and vanilla custard but dominated by rich pear fruit, minerals and a clean finish. This wine does a great job of harnessing the powerful fruit with appropriate oak and great acidity.
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Weekend Wine with Summer; 9/9/2010-9/12/2010 (Las Vegas, NV): Nose has lots of pineapple juice with petrol. There's also lingering spicy oak, meyer lemon, and crushed rocks. The one thing stopping this from being 1-3 points higher for me is the heat...just a touch hot. For those of you cellaring this bottle, hang on for a couple more years, my guess is that with some age the heat will lessen a bit.
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Tastes just like ripe vintage Corton-Charlemagne. Nose of pineapple, tropical fruits, and a hint of petrol. Palate is complex and sophisticated with lovely white peach and a note of honey. Great wine for the money.
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not quite as compelling as prior bottles, in part because drank with spicy Thai food and some nuance lost in the spice. but very good to excellent and i really like this wine.
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Light lemon color. Bright nose of golden delicious apple, honeydew melon and a touch of oak. Medium bodied on the palate with flavors of caramel and fruit.
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The fruit on the initial taste is muted and quickly gives way to a creamy mid-palate that ends with a hot, unbalanced finish. There are hints of nuance and structure but the overall effort is weakened by the lack luster fruit and the lack of acidity. Almost closed now, perhaps this will develop into a more balanced wine. Overall a disappointing effort. C+/B-
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Excellent wine; the oak is ever-present but subtle enough not to overwhelm the fruit, and the overall mouthfeel is smooth and silky. If you like Cali chards this is definitely one to try.
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One of the most complex chards I have ever had. This is Rombauer meets White Burgundy; very crisp with mineral undertones and a good bit of oak on the finish. Fantastic!!!!
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Yellow color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of pineapple, paraffin and honeydew melon. Flavors of pears, apples and a little lemon. Medium acidity and body. Drink over the short term. Much better showing with this bottle. Performed well.
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Wow. Scent of green apple. Amazing light toast, caramel, cotton candy taste. Very smooth and full flavor profile with a touch of alcohol / heat at the end. Very, very impressive chard.
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(14.6%) Not overly oaky but the fruit aromas and flavors still have a hard time pushing themselves to the fore. However some white fruit (green apples) and tropical (pineapple) notes do rise above the fray. Nice acidity on the backbone gives way to a crisp, refreshing (and oakless) finish. From someone that isn’t a Chard fan this wine is quite enjoyable.
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Pure, bright, complex, and perfectly balanced, this is a delightful chardonnay. Green apple, honeydew melon, citrus, flint and butterscotch flit by before a soft finish draws it all together. Now I want to taste the Monte Bello -- if it's better than this, it must be some wine.
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Nose - light on its feet, elegant, spicy, floral, minerally, citrus notes. Very expressive, a bit heavy on the oak for now, nose follows through, touch of pith. Needs 5 years.
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pale pale yellow; glorious clean nose with baked apples, honey, and egg shells; medium to full bodied with lush yet bright fruit, nice finish. Just delicious, 4th time with this wine and yet to be disappointed. Really in the spot for my tastes right now.
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light yellow body, sweetness on the nose apples, and tropical fruit. bright and crisp fruit on palate with nice acidity to balance and work well with our apps of escargot risotto, and muscles n gnoochi. Could not wonder how this would taste in a few years with bottle age.
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Nose: Honey, candied tropical fruit: pineapple and passion fruit as well as apricot. Butter and cream Mouth: Vanilla, cream, some oak on the long, lingering finish. Peaches, lots of glycerol. Not huge but fairly massive. Probably a year or two would help this calm down a bit, at the mo' it's a bit too much.
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Ridge wine tastings at Chelsea Wine Vault (Chelsea Wine Vault, NY): Color was pale yellow verging on apple juice. Nose was very fragrant green pair with a little minerality and smelled delicious. Palate was medium-bodied but viscous with notes of melon and pair with great acidity. Just an overall great wine.
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Very fruity nose with a nice touch of oak. The palate is surprisingly sharp and mineral as compared to the nose. Oak is of the tight and crisp variety, without the cloying butter that sometimes accompanies it. Showing tight right now, with minerality dominating the fruit on the finish, resulting in a bit of a clipped feel. This should open up with time; I agree with KDawg below that 2-4 years seems about right. I would score this 89-90 pts at present with potential for lots more down the road. I opened this knowing it would be tight, based on other reviews here as well as advice from the retailer I bought it from. But I wanted to check it out to see if I should buy more. I will, as $28 seems very reasonable for what this could become.
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Pale honey in color with a subtle, rich nose. The fruit is rich pear, baked apple with layers of strengthening fruit and a nice bit of stone and medium acidity.
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Notes from a Twitter TasteLive session with Ridge: # Nice nose on the chardonnay - lemon, starfruit, just a little pineapple and some good grass and minerals # Pretty rich and robust nose, actually, more than I see on most Chardonnay # Wow - that first sip threw me off. Given the nose, I expected something a little oakier and much more creamy. Very nice surprise. # Lemon, green fruit, minerals & grass on the Chard mouth. Long, lingering finish, altho a bit hot as the wine warmed up
NOTE: this wine was sent to me as a sample from Ridge
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I think this needs time to integrate. It's big, it's got a nice texture, but it's like a puzzle that hasn't been put together yet. The fruit (crisp apple, pear, white peach) is there, the OAK is there, the etoh is there, the acidity is there... Wait!
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Pale yellow and totally clear in the glass. Light nose of subtle fruit. On the palate it shows lovely ripe, rich fruits of apple and pear, some honey with good acidity and balance.
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This improved considerably with air. Today the acidity and caramelized oak spar a bit, though I sense definite potential here. Good fruit, kind of a bruised peach in lemon-sauce. Alcohol is a bit strong, masked better at chilled temperature. Next bottle in 2012. currently an 88, with room to improve to above 90.
eidt: day 3 it still seems a bit unripe, though alcohol is less noticeable. Definitely will let this sit.
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Drank over two days. On day 1 the oak and alcohol were a bit more prominent. Better integrated on day 2. A really nice chard that's not a butter bomb by any means. If you have any, let it age a bit. Upward potential here.
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This has star potential but I might let it sit for a short while. Full and rich with ripe figs, vanilla and toast/oak. The latter is a tad harsh at this point, but the wine has such a nice elegant feel to it, with a little settling in it might be special.
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Glunz Wines Fall Portfolio tasting (The Westin, Chicago IL): Nose: full and rich nose with really good depth with tones of meyer lemons, tangerious, orchard fruits, and bits of meringue. A bit tight right now, but has some real good material right now
taste: smooth medium/full feel with rich and fat tones of tropical fruits, tangerines, meyer lemons, and green apples. Really good depth and class on the palate
overall: This will need a couple of years to really get going. The flavors aren't fully showing themselves yet, and there gets the feel that it isn't fully strutting its stuff just yet. What's there right now is extremely good and this could turn out to be a real beauty with another 2-4 years
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Popped and poured - a little closed at first, needed about an hour to really shine; tropical fruits, melon, with shades of toasty oak; nice acidity, long lingering finish. Overall a very nice bottle to share with friends.
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My brother-in-law and I tasted this at the winery on 7/18/09. It had a pleasant bouquet of lemon, lime, pear, vanilla and spice aromas. The palate followed with lemon, pear, toast, vanilla and spice flavors…lots of toasty oak…good mouthfeel and strong acidity. It had too much oak for me.
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1/4/2024 - depechemoroder Likes this wine: 93 Points
In a stunning place - pure bright stone and citrus fruit that has a golden sheen to it with hints of pine, spice, and saffron. Deep and profound, but with surprising energy and lift on the finish. These definitely haven't given up and are marvellous with lighter game birds or pork stuffed with dried fruit.
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12/30/2021 - Otaku Oenophile Likes this wine: 94 Points
Impressive
When I got home this was already decanted for 5 hours. Despite that it wasn't flabby. Crisp honey crisp apples, cream, lemon.
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5/20/2021 - timjr Likes this wine: 93 Points
This aged really well. Great mix of minerality, sea air, nectarine and peach fruit, lemon, and slightly buttery oak. Wish I had more.
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5/3/2017 - hackey37 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Clear, deep gold color. Aromas are brown sugar, butterscotch, apple, and sweet spice. Tastes are granny smith apple, brown sugar, caramel, and herbal notes. Long and sour finish.
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8/5/2016 - Seth Rosenberg Does not like this wine: 78 Points
Nose is big with butterscotch, wood, vanilla and some herbs. The palate is similar but the wood and butterscotch combine with a resin or chemical/matchstick aspect that is just nasty. Finish is just the bitter chemical flavor. Nose - 4/6, Palate - 3/6, Finish - 2/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 0/2 = 9/20.
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6/28/2015 - adarus Likes this wine: 93 Points
Buttered popcorn, caramel, hint of stone fruit.
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5/10/2015 - Goldstone Likes this wine: 92 Points
Sunday Dinner on the Beach (Yin Yang Coastal, Ting Kau Village, Tsuen Wan, Kowloon, Hong Kong): Light yellow gold colour - no sign of age. Nose of matured oak, lemon and clam shells with seaweed-covered rocks on the shore. Palate is is rich, opulent, oaky, rounded and harmonious, with lots of roasted lemons and enough acidity to keep it very fresh. Powerful and muscular but very lean-muscled. Big reverberance on the end. Always a delight and a crowd-pleaser. Totally blew out a Gaja Gaia & Rey Chardonnay 2009 that costs over 4 times the price.
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4/4/2015 - Goldstone Likes this wine: 91 Points
Life has been kind to this wine since I last drank it and really enjoyed it 3 years ago. Lovely fresh and vibrant straw gold colour. Nose is deep, sweet slightly sweaty straw and lots of variations on sun-dried lemons. Palate is quite tannic but nicely structured to showcase the burnt lemon skin, taut oyster shell and lightly caramel mid-palate. Back end is super roasted charcoal grill lemon skins and a ton of lemon juicy fresh acidity.
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10/19/2014 - askoje wrote: 92 Points
Rich aromatic nose with lots of crackers and minerals. Pear tart with yellow fruit and hints of white flowers. Full bodied, very rich flavours. Overall great wine with beautiful finish.
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4/19/2014 - rcrisa wrote: 92 Points
The oak's showing nicely. Vivid wine. Beautiful.
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2/2/2014 - rocknroller wrote: 91 Points
Medium gold color. PNP, drank 1+ glasses over an hour. This was pretty similar to the bottle I had a year ago. Nose shows lemon, citrus, oak, and some minerality. The palate still has some good acidity to go with the lemon and pear flavors, moderate oak, and a nice finish. This pulls everything together pretty well. Last bottle and I think a good time to finish. 90+ to 91pts.
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5/16/2013 - WineCellarTV Likes this wine: 92 Points
Ripe fruits, honey, nice creamy texture, minerality and solid acidity. Beautiful wine!
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3/31/2013 - rjsmall Likes this wine:
Mid yellow colour. Rich nose - toast, oak, vanilla and cinnamon. Similar flavour with rich brioche toastiness and ripe fruit. Long finish with good acid balance. Very good and enjoyable. Drank over two hours. Still has a lot of life left in it.
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3/31/2013 - Mattshank wrote: 90 Points
Nose: Deep aromas of Creme Brulee and ripe lemons. Palate: Unfortunately this bottle seems flat as the acid levels are nowhere near the same as last bottle tasted on 8/15/11. The flavor profile is similar with the lemon and apple, but in the absence of ample acidity this effort is dissapointing in a comparative sense (last score was 92 pts.). Nonetheless a solid Chard but I hope my last bottle will yield better results.
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1/6/2013 - rocknroller wrote: 91 Points
Medium gold color. Pnp, drank 2 glasses over an hour. Nose is showing more oak than previous bottles, very toasted, lemon, nutty, butterbrickle, citrus with just a bit of tropical fruit. The palate is full, round, energetic, oak, lemon, citrus, burnt rubber, medium plus finish. The finish was a bit sharp on day two. This was better day one than day two.
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12/26/2012 - Goldstone Likes this wine: 89 Points
Boxing Day Long Lunch at Top Deck, Aberdeen Marina, Hong Kong (Top Deck, Jumbo Floating Restaurant, Aberdeen Marina, Hong Kong): Deepening silver-gold colour. Rich, buttery nose with ripe, succulent green and orange melon. Palate is very deep and rich, oak-framed citrus freshness. Good long finish but I find this lies a bit heavy and foursquare on the tongue. On the day I preferred the higher-toned freshness of the Ch. Montelena Chardonnay 2009.....but most people preferred the Ridge for its more hedonistic richness.
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6/19/2012 - Fur in the glass Likes this wine:
creamy, citrus/grapefruit, alcohol seemed much more present in this bottle
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5/7/2012 - unionst wrote: 91 Points
Floral nose - white flowers and a little honeysuckle with a hint of orange and lime rinds. Nice balance of white peach, pineapple, and candied orange on the palate. Even a little sugared fennel. Bright acid and a long finish. I think in the drinking window right now.
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4/23/2012 - UTPK wrote:
Lovely nose of fully mature chardonnay and some butter, but also some minerality poking through. Full bodied but balanced mouthfeel. Just a bit tiring in the end, but very good with food.
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1/29/2012 - pismo45 wrote: 91 Points
Nice nose but with a hint of oxidation. Toasty, lemony, nicely balanced medium bodied wine.
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1/15/2012 - jwolf99 wrote: flawed
No rating as this bottle seemed to be fairly oxidized; a shame for such a good wine
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11/27/2011 - wineshaman wrote: 91 Points
Had with fresh Eastern shore oysters, Green apple, pear, some toast and hints of lemon butter. Blalanced and understated elegance, that is not overdone like so many of it's couterparts. Drink over the next few years!
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10/10/2011 - team-blackburn wrote: 90 Points
Starting to fade.
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9/26/2011 - 3daywinereview.com wrote: 92 Points
High End Cabernets $100 plus: Drinking well again with chalk, oak, orange peel, lemon and carmel. Complex wine and really at its peak in my opinion.
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9/25/2011 - rocknroller wrote: 93 Points
Hi-End Cabs/Bordeaux Blends Offline, Blind ($100+) (Minneapolis): Medium gold color. Lovely nose of toasted oak, apples, citrus-lemon, with minerals. The palate is delightfully rich, round, and full with consistent fruit, mineral and great balance. Restrained oak and a long energetic finish make this just outstanding.
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9/24/2011 - Goldstone wrote: 89 Points
I have experienced significant bottle variation in recent months but this was one of the really good ones......briefly decanted then drank slowly over the course on an evening. Lovely bright gold colour. Nose of expensive lemon soap, crushed roasted lemons, unobtrusive oak and honeycomb. Palate is warm, golden, rounded and mouthcoating with honeyed tones but then quickly counterpointed by delicious lemon meringue pie, crushed roasted whole lemons, crushed rocks and lots of minerals. The alcohol now seems to be getting tamed and is no longer as hot as when this wine was younger......it is still no mistaking a big Chardonnay by old world standards but it is no oak monster and it is now really starting to find its proper proportions. Very good indeed and still has tons of time to improve, certainly over the next couple of years.
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9/15/2011 - Dsos wrote: 84 Points
Surprise (Simen): Straw yellow. Tropical fruit, vanilla and canned pineapple on the nose. Fruity, but far too much oak for me - like chewing wood, and with an unpleasant, metallic aftertaste. Scored between 82 and 88 p within the group
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9/14/2011 - KeithSurg wrote: 93 Points
Bright, transluscent yellow. Spicy, tropical nose. Pineapple, lemon, and more spice on the palate, with a clean, fresh finish. Did not get the heavy oak that others commented about. Very nice.
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9/10/2011 - 3daywinereview.com wrote: 92 Points
California Chardonnay (John's House): Spice, buttery note, lemon and floral notes. Nice fruit and use of oak on this wine as always with Ridge. I have never had a bad Ridge Chardonnay.
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9/2/2011 - smphelps wrote: 88 Points
The 12th of 13 bottles, third and likely last note. Consistent with the 4/11 note, it appears the freshness of youth has gone away and the elegant charming chardonnay of 2009 is gone. Fruit has receeded, and the toasty oak too prevelent. Still a gracious mouthfeel, just not aging gracefully. My guess is to ignore these for a year of so and see if it comes out the other side of a dumb phase.
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8/31/2011 - ews3 wrote: 92 Points
Weeknight Wine Tasting (Bistro 7, Philadelphia PA): syrup oak dominates the profile, but there is also some lush ripe red apple and nice clove notes. although prominent, the oak is well integrated and does not ruin the wine -- those who talk down the CA Chard style could give this a try to understand what an oaked Chardonnay can be even at a reasonably budget-friendly price point. med (+) finish.
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8/31/2011 - jrobs7777 wrote: 90 Points
Survery Of New World Wines (Bistro 7 (7 N. 3rd St., Philadelphia)): I know these Ridge Chardonnarys have a reputation of being oak bombs, and so obviously this is not going to be everyone's cup of tea. In my view, it is important to clarify a point here. This is not your typical cheaply made California oak monster Chardonnay. This is oaky, yes, but is a well made and enjoyable wine. It is pretty buttery and has some good viscosity. Well balanced all in all. The wine makes no apologies for what it is, and it is understandable if this is not your taste, but I quite enjoy it and it is a nice value.
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8/21/2011 - 2Travel wrote: 89 Points
Way too much oak tonight. Potential to be a very nice wine if they had gone easy on the new barrels.
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8/15/2011 - Mattshank wrote: 92 Points
Nose: Really nice slate mineral aromas with lemon, walnut, and oak aromas underneath the mineral. Impressive nose. Palate: Up front acid and lemons in equal measure with some apple and oak traces on the medium length finish. Very balanced effort in my view and well worth the $23 sale price paid. Great QPR based on the sale price. Will probably let my next of two bottles sleep for about a year and then revisit. In between 91 and 92 points but the balance pushes it up a notch. Really nice effort from Ridge.
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8/11/2011 - Fur in the glass wrote:
Creamy exotic fruit, yum factor was high
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8/8/2011 - christhewino Likes this wine: 86 Points
A creamy nose of lemon and almonds with a fairly short lived palate of lemon, grapefruit, oaky vanilla and a bit of an alcohol hit. Nowhere near as good as the price suggests, in fact I have had Chardonnay half the price which have made a better impression.
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8/2/2011 - Goldstone wrote: 84 Points
Popped and poured.......lovely semi-deep gold colour....nose is kerosine, pine-flavoured disenfectant and hand-crushed roasted whole lemons. Palate is overpowering pine resin (if oak can produce pine resin....). Very hot finish. Not on par with previous bottles from the same case.....maybe we were both having an off night....on the second night the oakiness has toned down and a bit more of that lovely whole crushed baked lemons was more evident and, although it then continued to improve, there remained something awkward about this particular bottle.....maybe it needs an hour's decant at this stage in its life. That would definitely have helped this particular bottle.
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7/23/2011 - 2Travel wrote: 92 Points
No notes, but very nice.
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7/14/2011 - rocknroller wrote: 91 Points
Medium gold color. The nose starts off with a rush of minerals, and as it opens shows some nice distinct fruits of pear, green apple, and lemon, and then develops a mushroom earthiness as well. The palate is reasonably crisp with medium acid and weight and consistent fruits from the nose, loads of minerality, and finally at the end some modest oak. This is hardly an oak bomb as some others as have mentioned. There is no significant oak on the nose and the palate shows quite restrained oak IMHO. This is well balanced and drinking well. I do strongly recommend giving this some air.
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7/13/2011 - UTPK wrote:
Had it after Dauvissat Forest 2005, and on the nose the Ridge had a restrained, almost elegant expression of Chardonnay, not that far from the Dajvissat, but on the palate it was double as hefty. You can clearly taste the US origin and the extra alcohol. This one is at 14,7%!
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6/26/2011 - Goldstone wrote: 89 Points
Wedding Anniversary Dinner (The Library, Crown Wine Cellars, Hong Kong): Rather deeper gold colour than the Fontaine Gagnard 1er Cru Les Murees that preceded it. Nose is lemony in several lemon dimensions and then mushroomy in a good way. Palate is rich lemon meringue, crushed roasted whole lemons, crushed rocks and lots of minerals. Heady finish as there is quite a lot of alcohol but not enough to unbalance things. The finish is long and with a satisfying persistent lemon juice note. This paired beautifully with lemon-infused wild mushroom risotto....as I had hoped. On the night I was increasingly struggling with a cold and I may well have under-pointed this wine even though I scored it higher than previous bottles I've drank. It is developing very nicely.
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5/29/2011 - vine20 wrote: 90 Points
Pale yellow, subdued lemon nose. The fruit is somewhat restrained and thin, showing lemon and some honey. Strong minerality.
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5/28/2011 - Goldstone wrote: 88 Points
Drank over a leisurely Saturday evening at home. No detailed notes but this was a more citrussy and less oaky character than other bottles. Full-bodied but light on its feet. Good minerals and crushed rock palate, lightly honeyed. Good roasted lemons and fresh crushed limes finish. Considerable length and some resonance on the finale. No evidence of heat in this particular bottle.
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5/20/2011 - smokeandmirrors wrote: 92 Points
Reminded me of Robert Young Chardonnay. This is drinking nicely right now
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5/13/2011 - nzinkgraf wrote:
Still more than enough of a woodsy oak in the nose. Seemingly spiced wood and confirmed on the palate too. Starting to take on some of a creamier nature on the palate, which is must more inviting. Another two years and this will be screaming.
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5/13/2011 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Warm and well integrated oak and fruit. Seemless, volulptious, rich. Beautiful. Works at $40.
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5/10/2011 - vanpe003 wrote: 91 Points
Matt Scott, in a tasting note below with his comment re: spice. For me, rich fruit and spicy, crisp toasted oak. Thankfully (for my palate) there is not much in the way of buttery, mouth-puckering malo. I don't get a lot of the "oyster" or "minerals". Big fruit / big oak. This is close to my nirvana in a Cali chard. This is however a Chard on the big side with the aforementioned oak, and becomes bigger (and perhaps less crisp) the longer it's open. My other note of caution relates to the ABV, which gives a slight bite on the finish. Not a summer sipper. I think I'll save my next bottle to have around a winter campfire.
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4/23/2011 - Jmartin wrote:
Veryn nice. Reminded me of the Dehlinger Chards we drink all of the time (as opposed to the WS Chards)
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4/17/2011 - Matt Scott wrote: 92 Points
Let breathe for an hour. Lovely golden colour. There's a lot of spice character, with apple, oyster shell, mineral and citrus. Medium finish and a gorgeous body. Multidimensional and very ready. Drink now - 2016.
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4/14/2011 - smphelps wrote: 88 Points
Looking back at my notes of 16 months ago, I may have missed the boat a bit on this one. Rather than improving as I had thought, the fruit has withdrawn a bit leaving mostly ripe pears and pineapple. The toasty oak is less harsh, but somewhat to the hot side, and not integrated fully. So rather than moving to special, we are falling back toward more ordinary.
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4/2/2011 - Goldstone wrote: 87 Points
Drank at a very leisurely pace over a mellow Saturday evening. Very oaky and hot at first but progressively toned down to milk chocolate covered honeycomb candy (Crunchie Bar in the UK) with roasted whole lemons and some mineral aftertone. Heavy alcohol....that's the main rogue element. This seems to be putting on weight with age but is still disjointed and I can't see the path it is likely to evolve along......so wait a while before trying again.
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3/16/2011 - sdatl Does not like this wine: 81 Points
Two words: OAK BOMB. The oak overwhelmed the fruit to the point where it had a bitter aftertaste. Perhaps this needed time to better integrate, but I guess I expect a 2007 to be enjoyable, if not at peak.
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3/11/2011 - cybergod Likes this wine:
Tropical but bright nose, followed by a rich, fruit and mineral driven palette. Noticable alcohol heat on the finish though. Otherwise excellent.
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2/16/2011 - Primetimewine Likes this wine: 91 Points
Multi layered. Tropical fruits up front with full bodied and well balanced burnt oak on the back layers. If anything more acidity than I would have anticipated.
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2/14/2011 - ludwigbpm wrote: 91 Points
Nez typiquement californien: melon de miel, poire, un peu d'élevage. Bouche tres grasse, beurrée sans être lourde. Longue finale a la fois riche mais tendue. Excellent.
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1/20/2011 - pvetsch wrote: 87 Points
(Second Review) Round and warm Cali Chardonnay, with clearly noticeable but well-integrated oak influence in the foreground and mellow apple/pear/green melon flavours also showing through. I didn't note this on the last bottle, but this time I'm finding the alcohol level a little distracting and overpowering...not used to this kind of hotter profile in a white.
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12/31/2010 - Duncan H wrote: 90 Points
Powerful vanilla oak on the nose, with some ripe tropical fruit emerging later. Tasted next to a 2008 Puligny and initially Mrs H thought the palate was quite Burgundian - with more time in the glass, the oak on the palate became much more noticeable. A real alcoholic kick. Thoroughly enjoyable and went beautifully with lobster. Opened three hours in advance (but not decanted) - drinking very well now but will keep and develop for a few years yet - personally I'd drink now tho'.
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12/25/2010 - Goldstone wrote: 87 Points
Drank prior to and after our Christmas turkey lunch. Straw gold colour. Nose of honeysuckle, beeswax polish, green apples, Vaseline, nice rich ripe canteloupe melon and Crunchie bar. Palate is thick slightly oily mouthfeel with a lot of toasty oak framed by lemons and limes and Granny Smiths apples acidity. The oak wins out on the back of the palate but it ends with a rich butterscotch and slightly overripe bananas finale. Not my normal style of Chardonnay but well put together and very enjoyable if you take it at a leisurely pace. Interesting to see how it will evolve over the next 2-3 years, which I suspect is its longevity window.
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12/11/2010 - Night Train wrote: 88 Points
Consistent with last bottle a few months ago. Pleasant California Chardonnay, but nothing to write home about.
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12/4/2010 - SUN-J wrote: 89 Points
Solid wine but a bit disjointed. Alternated b/t butterscotch and oak and and lemon. It was just a little muddled. Experimented with diff. temps but didn't change the balance. Perhaps it just needs a bit more time? Hold next one for a year.
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11/18/2010 - pismo45 wrote: 90 Points
Nicely balanced wine, notes of apples and honey. Try again in 2-3 years.
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11/16/2010 - caboychuck wrote:
Apple and butter on the nose. Pineapple, little flabby, little wet dog. Opened so long ago I don't remember being so disappointed. Will have to try some more.
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11/11/2010 - team-blackburn wrote: 90 Points
Same as my last bottle.
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11/6/2010 - rmodak wrote: 91 Points
Very balanced chardonnay with hints of smoke and vanilla custard but dominated by rich pear fruit, minerals and a clean finish. This wine does a great job of harnessing the powerful fruit with appropriate oak and great acidity.
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10/31/2010 - MatsJohan wrote: 93 Points
Fantastisk, fylde syre frukt i herlig balanse, klarer3-5 år lagring
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10/18/2010 - slada wrote: 92 Points
consistently awesome. i have seriously had this particular wine/vintage more than any other single wine ever.
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10/1/2010 - vine20 wrote: 91 Points
Notes consistent with 11/26/09 with even more pronounced honey through the mid and-palate finish.
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9/30/2010 - 3daywinereview.com wrote: 90 Points
Mineral, butter scotch, candied fruits and pinneapple. This is a rich wine and concentrated flavors. A bit off balance but overall well made.
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9/11/2010 - tooch wrote: 89 Points
Weekend Wine with Summer; 9/9/2010-9/12/2010 (Las Vegas, NV): Nose has lots of pineapple juice with petrol. There's also lingering spicy oak, meyer lemon, and crushed rocks. The one thing stopping this from being 1-3 points higher for me is the heat...just a touch hot. For those of you cellaring this bottle, hang on for a couple more years, my guess is that with some age the heat will lessen a bit.
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9/4/2010 - hrl wrote: 92 Points
Tastes just like ripe vintage Corton-Charlemagne. Nose of pineapple, tropical fruits, and a hint of petrol. Palate is complex and sophisticated with lovely white peach and a note of honey. Great wine for the money.
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9/2/2010 - slada wrote: 90 Points
not quite as compelling as prior bottles, in part because drank with spicy Thai food and some nuance lost in the spice. but very good to excellent and i really like this wine.
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8/12/2010 - dougsmith wrote: 88 Points
Light lemon color. Bright nose of golden delicious apple, honeydew melon and a touch of oak. Medium bodied on the palate with flavors of caramel and fruit.
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7/23/2010 - slada wrote: 94 Points
pale yellow, ethereal fleeting crisp apples, ice, minerals, touch vanilla; liquid crystals shining brightly in the mouth sailing clear crisp finish. wow, just incredible bottle.
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7/6/2010 - team-blackburn wrote: 90 Points
Not as expressive as the previous bottle, more butter and oak less acid still very good.
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7/3/2010 - Night Train wrote: 88 Points
Nose and flavor somewhat muted. Not excessively oaked. Modest amount of butter, but a little lacking in acidity.
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6/22/2010 - swapdoc Does not like this wine:
The fruit on the initial taste is muted and quickly gives way to a creamy mid-palate that ends with a hot, unbalanced finish. There are hints of nuance and structure but the overall effort is weakened by the lack luster fruit and the lack of acidity. Almost closed now, perhaps this will develop into a more balanced wine. Overall a disappointing effort. C+/B-
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5/25/2010 - pvetsch wrote:
Excellent wine; the oak is ever-present but subtle enough not to overwhelm the fruit, and the overall mouthfeel is smooth and silky. If you like Cali chards this is definitely one to try.
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5/6/2010 - team-blackburn wrote: 93 Points
One of the most complex chards I have ever had. This is Rombauer meets White Burgundy; very crisp with mineral undertones and a good bit of oak on the finish. Fantastic!!!!
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4/24/2010 - wineismylife Likes this wine: 92 Points
Saturdays at One - Volume 20: WIML92
Yellow color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of pineapple, paraffin and honeydew melon. Flavors of pears, apples and a little lemon. Medium acidity and body. Drink over the short term. Much better showing with this bottle. Performed well.
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4/21/2010 - marksfamily wrote: 90 Points
Wow. Scent of green apple. Amazing light toast, caramel, cotton candy taste. Very smooth and full flavor profile with a touch of alcohol / heat at the end. Very, very impressive chard.
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4/17/2010 - Jason Rzutkiewicz Likes this wine: 87 Points
(14.6%) Not overly oaky but the fruit aromas and flavors still have a hard time pushing themselves to the fore. However some white fruit (green apples) and tropical (pineapple) notes do rise above the fray. Nice acidity on the backbone gives way to a crisp, refreshing (and oakless) finish. From someone that isn’t a Chard fan this wine is quite enjoyable.
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4/9/2010 - slada wrote: 90 Points
not quite as nice as last time; less tropical and less mineral, overall just a touch less flavorful and aroma-ful. otherwise similar profile.
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3/29/2010 - will2wine wrote: 93 Points
Pure, bright, complex, and perfectly balanced, this is a delightful chardonnay. Green apple, honeydew melon, citrus, flint and butterscotch flit by before a soft finish draws it all together. Now I want to taste the Monte Bello -- if it's better than this, it must be some wine.
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3/7/2010 - yhn wrote: 92 Points
Nose - light on its feet, elegant, spicy, floral, minerally, citrus notes.
Very expressive, a bit heavy on the oak for now, nose follows through, touch of pith. Needs 5 years.
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3/4/2010 - slada wrote: 93 Points
pale pale yellow; glorious clean nose with baked apples, honey, and egg shells; medium to full bodied with lush yet bright fruit, nice finish. Just delicious, 4th time with this wine and yet to be disappointed. Really in the spot for my tastes right now.
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2/27/2010 - Gingersnail wrote: 90 Points
THis was a fantastic Chardonnay - balanced, not overly oaked, a bit of pear and apple on the nose and brown sugar and peachon the palette
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2/26/2010 - Whine-oh wrote: 88 Points
light yellow body, sweetness on the nose apples, and tropical fruit. bright and crisp fruit on palate with nice acidity to balance and work well with our apps of escargot risotto, and muscles n gnoochi. Could not wonder how this would taste in a few years with bottle age.
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2/21/2010 - chatters wrote:
Nose: Honey, candied tropical fruit: pineapple and passion fruit as well as apricot. Butter and cream
Mouth: Vanilla, cream, some oak on the long, lingering finish. Peaches, lots of glycerol.
Not huge but fairly massive. Probably a year or two would help this calm down a bit, at the mo' it's a bit too much.
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2/16/2010 - DRod wrote: 92 Points
Ridge wine tastings at Chelsea Wine Vault (Chelsea Wine Vault, NY): Color was pale yellow verging on apple juice. Nose was very fragrant green pair with a little minerality and smelled delicious. Palate was medium-bodied but viscous with notes of melon and pair with great acidity. Just an overall great wine.
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2/12/2010 - vanpe003 wrote:
Very fruity nose with a nice touch of oak. The palate is surprisingly sharp and mineral as compared to the nose. Oak is of the tight and crisp variety, without the cloying butter that sometimes accompanies it. Showing tight right now, with minerality dominating the fruit on the finish, resulting in a bit of a clipped feel. This should open up with time; I agree with KDawg below that 2-4 years seems about right. I would score this 89-90 pts at present with potential for lots more down the road. I opened this knowing it would be tight, based on other reviews here as well as advice from the retailer I bought it from. But I wanted to check it out to see if I should buy more. I will, as $28 seems very reasonable for what this could become.
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1/29/2010 - vine20 wrote: 90 Points
Pale honey in color with a subtle, rich nose. The fruit is rich pear, baked apple with layers of strengthening fruit and a nice bit of stone and medium acidity.
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1/9/2010 - rjhilgers@gmail.com wrote: 88 Points
Notes from a Twitter TasteLive session with Ridge:
# Nice nose on the chardonnay - lemon, starfruit, just a little pineapple and some good grass and minerals
# Pretty rich and robust nose, actually, more than I see on most Chardonnay
# Wow - that first sip threw me off. Given the nose, I expected something a little oakier and much more creamy. Very nice surprise.
# Lemon, green fruit, minerals & grass on the Chard mouth. Long, lingering finish, altho a bit hot as the wine warmed up
NOTE: this wine was sent to me as a sample from Ridge
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12/7/2009 - Grinner wrote: 90 Points
I think this needs time to integrate. It's big, it's got a nice texture, but it's like a puzzle that hasn't been put together yet. The fruit (crisp apple, pear, white peach) is there, the OAK is there, the etoh is there, the acidity is there... Wait!
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11/26/2009 - vine20 wrote: 91 Points
Pale yellow and totally clear in the glass. Light nose of subtle fruit. On the palate it shows lovely ripe, rich fruits of apple and pear, some honey with good acidity and balance.
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11/26/2009 - tarheel17 wrote:
This improved considerably with air.
Today the acidity and caramelized oak spar a bit, though I sense definite potential here. Good fruit, kind of a bruised peach in lemon-sauce. Alcohol is a bit strong, masked better at chilled temperature. Next bottle in 2012. currently an 88, with room to improve to above 90.
eidt: day 3 it still seems a bit unripe, though alcohol is less noticeable. Definitely will let this sit.
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11/9/2009 - winenewb068 wrote: 89 Points
Drank over two days. On day 1 the oak and alcohol were a bit more prominent. Better integrated on day 2. A really nice chard that's not a butter bomb by any means. If you have any, let it age a bit. Upward potential here.
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10/12/2009 - smphelps wrote: 90 Points
This has star potential but I might let it sit for a short while. Full and rich with ripe figs, vanilla and toast/oak. The latter is a tad harsh at this point, but the wine has such a nice elegant feel to it, with a little settling in it might be special.
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9/14/2009 - KeithAkers wrote: 91 Points
Glunz Wines Fall Portfolio tasting (The Westin, Chicago IL): Nose: full and rich nose with really good depth with tones of meyer lemons, tangerious, orchard fruits, and bits of meringue. A bit tight right now, but has some real good material right now
taste: smooth medium/full feel with rich and fat tones of tropical fruits, tangerines, meyer lemons, and green apples. Really good depth and class on the palate
overall: This will need a couple of years to really get going. The flavors aren't fully showing themselves yet, and there gets the feel that it isn't fully strutting its stuff just yet. What's there right now is extremely good and this could turn out to be a real beauty with another 2-4 years
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9/6/2009 - mjf@ulkner wrote: 89 Points
A fairly distinctive chardonnay- this almost has a savory component. Not a big "butter bomb" from Cali, fairly restrained with crisp minerality
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8/30/2009 - LelouchViBritannia wrote: 91 Points
California Wine Tour; 8/27/2009-8/30/2009 (Sonoma/Spring Mtn/Napa/Santa Cruz): fruit, lemon, balanced, wonderful
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8/24/2009 - wabi47 wrote: 90 Points
lemon, green apple and melon notes, good minerality with hints of stone; nice mouth feel
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8/8/2009 - danstrings wrote: 91 Points
Solid as a rock--a winderful balanced refreshing yet expressive CA Chard. Loaded with honeyed nutty fruit. Good balance.
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7/24/2009 - wabi47 wrote: 85 Points
too much not yet fully integrated oak; maybe later....
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7/19/2009 - green-steve wrote: 92 Points
Popped and poured - a little closed at first, needed about an hour to really shine; tropical fruits, melon, with shades of toasty oak; nice acidity, long lingering finish. Overall a very nice bottle to share with friends.
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7/18/2009 - garambler wrote: 88 Points
My brother-in-law and I tasted this at the winery on 7/18/09. It had a pleasant bouquet of lemon, lime, pear, vanilla and spice aromas. The palate followed with lemon, pear, toast, vanilla and spice flavors…lots of toasty oak…good mouthfeel and strong acidity. It had too much oak for me.
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6/8/2009 - Apollo_Creed wrote: 91 Points
Pretty big, nice buttery cream, a little oak and some fruit. Very nice.
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6/1/2009 - sbwino wrote: 93 Points
Wonderful Full-Bodied and Luscious with Great Balance of Acidity and Round Mouth Filling Flavors of Lemon Curd, Pineapple, and Minerals.
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4/19/2009 - peternelson wrote: 88 Points
Winery: Popcorn, vanilla, butyter but not huge; soft and fleshy; classic, but not my style. some mineral
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