2008 Craggy Range Chardonnay Les Beaux Cailloux

Community Tasting Notes (4) Avg Score: 91.8 points

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  2/15/2021 - Mon.Maultiere wrote: 89 Points

  Drunk with vegetable terrine. Pale white gold. Powerful oaky nose with slight smokiness. Butter, vanilla with honey and citrus hints. An underlying herbaceousness. Developed body and some balance in the glass. Rich but with a little bite of rather sharp acidity that disturbs its overall smoothness. Only moderate length. Holding up well though. There were brief moments of real enjoyment and the underlying wine seemed to be very good but the oak was the dominant flavour at all stages - too much for my palate. There was no mellowing on Day 2 or 3 - leaving it rather unharmonious overall. I don't see this improving.

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  2/5/2015 - Marc wrote: 92 Points

  Triple Birthday Dinner (Ponsonby, Auckland, New Zealand): Fabulous chardonnay - this feels opulent but still retains a nice sense of structure. Mealy and mineral with plenty of vanillin aspects. Very long and impeccably balanced. This drinks well now - in very early maturity. A slightly more structured version of this wine than previous vintages.

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  3/25/2013 - Marc wrote: 93 Points

  Hazelnut city - very Meursault in style - round, ripe, peaches and cream - minerals, toast, gorgeous oak handling. Tropical fruit notes add exoticism - some Amyl-acetate (artificial banana). This is clearly a luxury NZ chardonnay that delivers in a big way. Beautiful fruit that just goes on and on and perfectly complements the oak. Not quite as oxidative a style as previous vintages, this is drinking beautifully but should hold a few more years under its stelvin cap.

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  5/24/2010 - AlexGarner wrote: 93 Points

  Craggy Range Prestige Collection 2008 Release Tasting (Prince Wine Store - Bank Street): Colour: Pale yellow with a green tint
  Nose: Flinty with plenty of fresh lemon and mandarin. Toasty nuts and white flowers.
  Palette: Huge mouthfeel and plenty of crunchy acid. Powerful and textural with a complex mid-palette but no edges. Long long finish.
  Overall: Very interesting and masculine. Not for the faint hearted!
  Cellaring: 5-7 years easily.

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