2008 Vie di Romans Chardonnay Vie di Romans

Community Tasting Notes (6) Avg Score: 89.3 points

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View forceberry's profile
  • Report Issue

  4/22/2023 - forceberry wrote: 90 Points

  100% Chardonnay from the Vie di Romans vineyard. Average vine age 15 years. Harvested in late September 2008. The grapes are first crushed and cold-soaked, after which they are fermented for three and half weeks in cool temperatures with selected yeasts. The wine is aged for 8 months on the lees in used barriques, undergoing partial MLF. The wine is left to settle and clarify naturally. Bottled in early June 2009. 14,6% alcohol, 5,3 g/l acidity and pH 3,41. Total production 52,046 bottles, 2058 half bottles, 460 magnums, 78 double magnums and 31 five-liter bottles.
  
  Deep and quite intense neon-yellow color. The bold nose feels ripe and sweet-toned with aromas of juicy peach, some creamy oak, light sweet Fuji apple notes, a little bit of woody oak spice, a somewhat odd hint of canned asparagus and a touch of honeyed richness. The wine feels ripe, somewhat concentrated and a bit viscous on the palate with a full body and rich flavors of stony minerality, some creamy notes of oak, a little bit of apple sauce and peach jam, light woody notes of savory oak spice, a hint of beeswax and a vegetal touch of canned asparagus. The wine manages to be quite balanced and structured despite the rich and somewhat oily mouthfeel, thanks to the moderately high acidity. The finish is rich, somewhat warm and a bit toasty with an intense, slightly sweet-toned aftertaste of juicy peach, some creamy oak, light nutty notes of wood, a little bit of apple jam, a hint of toasty oak spice and a touch of beeswax.
  
  A big, ripe and impactful Chardonnay from the rather "Californian" end of the spectrum - although almost all the Vie di Romans whites are stylistically quite bold and voluminous, this particular wine feels big even in the context of Vie di Romans wines. I guess the key factor here might be the oak use, which feels a bit more prominent than in other whites, lending quite a bit of breadth and sweet flavors to the overall profile of the wine. But then again, the wine is surprisingly balanced and harmonious for such a blockbuster white, and even if the oak use feels a bit more "new world" here, it doesn't come across as overdone - of course age might help here, as the wine is almost 15 years old now. It doesn't feel that old, though. Seeing how relatively youthful the wine is at the moment, I can see this wine both keeping and maybe improving for at least some more years. The wine got just one point from the nine participants in our tasting of 12 Ščurek and Vie di Romans wines, making it finish on seventh place.

  Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View rx7car's profile
  • Report Issue

  1/16/2021 - rx7car Likes this wine: 90 Points

  Golden yellow with loads of mature, ripe fruit aromas. Really well-rounded and full-bodied with tastes of pineapple and green apple on the palate. A hint of smoky oak and toasted nuts end with a very slightly creamy finish. I thought this would be past its window but it seems like this aged extremely well in cellar and was a perfect pour 12 years on. Impressive. (Had this with a lobster mac/cheese and the combination was glorious!)

  Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View Pfleonard's profile
  • Report Issue

  5/12/2018 - Pfleonard Likes this wine: 90 Points

  Golden and caramel and lemon.

  Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View Zweder's profile
  • Report Issue

  9/29/2012 - Zweder wrote: 90 Points

  Not so many notes. A touch of sweetness in the start. Tropical fruits. Elegant oak. A firm amount of alcohol. Special and nice wine.

  Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View EleonoraScholes's profile
  • Report Issue

  10/27/2011 - EleonoraScholes wrote:

  14.5% alc. Expressive tropical fruit. Palate is weighty, tropical, lacks complexity. Nice mineral touch in the finish. 15/20 points. Chardonnay blind tasting with Steven Spurrier in Moscow

  Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment

View all 6 Community Tasting Notes

Professional reviews have copyrights and you can view them here for your personal use only as private content. To view pro reviews you must either subscribe to a pre-integrated publication or manually enter reviews below. Learn more.