Reviews

Château Boswell Chardonnay Ritchie Vineyard

Yellow citrus, white peach, yellow apple skin, lemon zest, and some white stone. Fairly acidic, but providing nice energy and lift, especially on the back end where the grip clenches the jaw and…

Fait-Main Chardonnay Penhoet Toyon Farm

An decent showing, but missing that next-level oomph. Refreshing and crisp, but a bit singular in its delivery of would-be complex flavors. Paired well with the seafood dishes. As a stand-alone, it…

Vice Versa Chardonnay Platt Vineyard

Having the opportunity to follow these VV Platt wines is really something special. My previous notes apply, with some additional comments about "quality"...

JCB Chardonnay No. 33

65% new oak/14 months. A Burgundian rendition with pure lemon citrus and white peach notes. Fairly full on the front end, but clean, crisp, and pure overall. Mid-palate was a tad hollow, with the…

Aubert Chardonnay CIX Estate Vineyard

Two years ago since I last had this wine. PnP kicked out some off-putting spritz that threw the flavors all out of whack. It tasted like a Sauvignon Blanc had a love child with a super dry…

Hartford / Hartford Court Chardonnay Three Jacks

First bottle was severely flawed.

Hartford / Hartford Court Chardonnay Three Jacks

Wet newspaper and dank bathroom smell. On the palate, like licking an old envelope.

Fait-Main Chardonnay Penhoet Toyon Farm

PnP with notes of zippy white stone and somewhat pithy yellow citrus core fruit; fresh lemon juice, lemon seed, quince, unripe pear, and pumice. The front end of the attack was full of verve, with an…

Rivers-Marie Chardonnay B. Thieriot Vineyard

Same as all of my previous notes on this wine. Held up great over the course of over three hours. Beautifully balanced, with just enough of a kiss of buttery citrus to push the flavor spectrum into…

Fait-Main Chardonnay Penhoet Toyon Farm

PnP. Nice but linear. Purity of fruit was good, but I felt this was missing some tiered flavors; weight mid-palate was just ok, with a focused but simple attack. Previous notes apply in terms of its…

Launois Pere et Fils Champagne Grand Cru Veuve Clemence Brut Blanc de Blancs

All previous notes apply. Improved with air over the course of two+ hours.

Aubert Chardonnay Lauren Estate Vineyard

PnP at 50-52 degrees, with a zesty but buttery-smooth yellow citrus dominated core. Lemon curd, lemon zest, honeydew, citrus oil, honey, olive oil, clarified butter, and some vanilla. Perfect…

Rombauer Vineyards Chardonnay

PnP with flavors of clarified butter, unsalted butter, salted butter, melted butter, ghee, cultured butter, margarine, roux, I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, shea butter, body butter, buttered movie…

Rivers-Marie Chardonnay B. Thieriot Vineyard

PnP with a viscous and glycol-wrapped delivery on the front end; yellow citrus, Meyer lemon marmalade, lamp oil, vanilla-liqueur, and olive oil. A lot of booze on the back end, washing over the…

Bevan Cellars Chardonnay Ritchie Vineyard

As others have noted, this is a big, adulterous, slap-yo-mama and run from the po-lice kind of Chardonnay. The frontal attack isn't "just" like a blustering vocal purging of the liquid incarnation of…

Launois Pere et Fils Champagne Grand Cru Veuve Clemence Brut Blanc de Blancs

Same as all previous notes. An ok starter to the evening meal. Served in a flute (usually I prefer a BDX stem). A bit chalky and linear on the attack. A decent amount of bubbles drawing away from the…

Hartford / Hartford Court Chardonnay Far Coast Vineyard

This was served as a PnP directly out of the refrigerator, so my first impression was a little lost on the otherwise muted flavors. My initial sips showed some chalky rock and pithy yellow/white…

Hartford / Hartford Court Chardonnay Three Jacks

Ripe yellow core fruit, with a wonderful citrus marmalade flavor that really shaped the profile of this wine. Some olive oil, lemon curd, lemon zest, and tropical fruit notes emerged as well.

Hartford / Hartford Court Chardonnay Sevens Bench Vineyard

A mild mannered, easy going Chardonnay that appears ready for immediate consumption. Yellow citrus core fruit, with some slight spice and minerality. A bit more of a straightforward profile when…

Bevan Cellars Chardonnay

Similar to my previous notes last year. Dominated by popcorn and vanilla oak. A nice texture and mouthfeel, with yellow citrus, lemon curd, butter, and some glycol filling out the overall profile.…

Rivers-Marie Chardonnay Bearwallow Vineyard Anderson Valley

PnP with a slap of dried apricot, buttered popcorn, lamp oil, butterscotch, wood, and bruised lemon rind. Fairly abrasive in the front and somewhat angular though the mid-palate. Finish was flat and…

Rivers-Marie Chardonnay Sonoma Coast

I'm still not jiving on this wine. I know it's an appellation Chardonnay with a seemingly great QPR, but... there was no elegance or refinement to be had here. Pretty simple in complexity and flavor,…

Marcassin Chardonnay Marcassin Vineyard

"A beautiful wine," was the general sentiment among most of the crowd, though some (myself included) felt like it was holding back quite a bit, with the frontal push of flavoring to be reticent and…

Launois Pere et Fils Champagne Grand Cru Veuve Clemence Brut Blanc de Blancs

Same as my previous notes. This displays a nice steely-driven push of white stone fruit and some upper register light yellow citrus notes. Effervescence was strong but not distracting. Compared to…

B Cellars Chardonnay Barrel Select

Previous notes apply. I'm a fan. Decanting is actually recommended here in my opinion, allowing it to smooth out and not be obnoxious with its initial hit of flavor and flair. Softened our nicely for…