Reviews

Argot Chardonnay Simpatico Ranch

Same as previous notes. Notable acidity and grip. A nice Burgundian/domestic hybrid. A lot of energy here, with some green apple and lemon verbena/lemongrass notes. A little less inviting than a '15…

Argot Estate Vineyard Sonoma Mountain

Some alcohol and glycol on the finish this time around, which somewhat stunted the otherwise beautiful yellow core fruit on this wine. Some nice vanilla notes emerged, but some of the booze pulled…

Rivers-Marie Chardonnay Sonoma Coast

Lemon liqueur, yellow pear, glycol, and lamp oil. Some faint lemon verbena and grass on the back end, but mostly hits of lemon and alcohol. A furry/pithy aftertaste made for an abrupt finish. Even…

Williams Selyem Chardonnay Lewis MacGregor Estate Vineyard

Half of the bottle was re-corked and put in the refrigerator for two days. Some richer hazelnut, olive oil, and riper lemon notes. Held up nicely. For those holding bottles, I'd let this wine sit for…

Williams Selyem Chardonnay Lewis MacGregor Estate Vineyard

Fun and zippy, with a lot of verve and acidic prominence. Puckering light lemon and yellow/white citrus notes. Green apple and dry hay flavors added interest. A higher toned animal. A little thin…

Aubert Chardonnay Eastside Vineyard

Finished a previously Coravin'd bottle. Hazelnut, lemon curd, and vanilla bean notes emerged with extended air. The strong green apple element from the initial Coravin pour had subsided considerably,…

Ulysse Collin Champagne Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut Les Pierrières

2013 base. The nose on this Champagne was utterly captivating. Freshly washed green apple skin and chalky sea foam. PnP was hyper-punchy and steely, with aggressive white stone fruit and heavy chalk…

Aubert Chardonnay Eastside Vineyard

2013 and 2014 Aubert Eastside side-by-side.

Aubert Chardonnay Eastside Vineyard

2013 and 2014 Aubert Eastside side-by-side.

Bacigalupi Vineyards Chardonnay

Previous notes apply. Lemon curd, vanilla, lime zest, popcorn, and some subtle stone fruit. The lime note (and a tinge of alkaline and alcohol) repeat on the back end. Missing a bit of finesse and…

Marc Hébrart Champagne Premier Cru Blanc de Blancs Brut

A extremely pleasant and inviting Champagne, with yeasty but pure flavors of almond paste, fresh pizza dough, white peach, white stone fruit, green apple, quince, and some chalk and salt rock. A good…

Launois Pere et Fils Champagne Grand Cru Severine

Notes of stone fruit, olive oil, quinine, bruised apple, yeast, banana peel, kerosene, lacquer, and dry white wood. A somewhat clumsy attack, with the back end stifled by the wonky flavors stammering…

Lioco Chardonnay Hanzell Vineyard

Simple yellow citrus and saline notes, with flecks of graphite. Some green apple and vanilla show up on the back half of the attack. Otherwise, a fairly humdrum example of the varietal. Not too much…

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

Same as previous notes. Nice cut and bright acidity; a higher toned, whiter stone fruit profile. The bubbles persisted for hours. A fun and easy sipper for sure.

B Cellars Chardonnay Barrel Select

Same notes as two months ago. Seemingly weighty and rich, but never burdensome or fat. Maintains great flavor while still holding a good grip on the lush yellow citrus fruit; showed lovely balance…

Salinia Chardonnay Saint Marigold

More Sherry than Chardonnay. Super arid and woody at this stage, with a drying, anti-unctuous effect inside the mouth. Like a Sherry and a still Champagne had an eczema baby.

B Cellars Chardonnay Star Vineyard

"Not bad" is probably the best overall descriptor here - as in the way you might utter such a phrase walking out to your car after a movie that wasn't a total waste of time, but also wasn't one you'd…

Rivers-Marie Chardonnay Sonoma Coast

Give this time. Sulfur, heat, and glycol dominated over the yellow citrus core fruit. Almost akin to a limoncello. Liqueur lemontini aftertaste. Hold for another year minimum.

Aubert Chardonnay UV-SL Vineyard

Beautifully crafted and just the right amount of richness, this UV-SL was pumping out classically elegant and unctuous flavors of ripe yellow citrus, lemon curd, lemon grass, honey, meringue, ripe…

Launois Pere et Fils Champagne Grand Cru Brut Millésimé

Ripe green apple, buttery brioche, banana peel, bruised lemon, roasted cashew, mesquite honey, and some oyster shell. On the riper side of the spectrum; missing some of the vivaciousness of the…

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

Same as my notes from a couple of months ago. An easy-going sipper that has some elevated flavor elements and is wonderfully balanced (not too much of the bubbly going on to distract from the…

Schramsberg Vineyards Blanc de Blancs

Previous note applies. A good first-start-sipper kind of sparkler. Simple but flavorful and balanced enough to hold interest and offer pleasure. An "easy does it" beverage.

Revana Chardonnay

A bit of a "flat" meets "fat" profile this time around. This wine screamed domestic Chardonnay, with "fat," buttery flavors of lemon curd, pie crust, clarified butter, movie theater popcorn, and…

Aubert Chardonnay Lauren Estate Vineyard

Previous notes apply from over a year ago in terms of the specific flavor profile. Not too much has changed with this wine, with notes of high-pitched yellow citrus, lemon grass, quince, white stone…

J. Rochioli Chardonnay Russian River Valley

Ripe yellow citrus, lemon curd, yellow pear, pineapple, popcorn, vanilla bean, and almond. Fairly rich and bordering on buttery, this pulls back just in time before it becomes too much of a good…