I've written quite a bit on this wine over the years. I mean, if you want quintessential domestic Chardonnay with all the quality marshmallowy lemon curd citrus peachy honey cream notes you could…
The Sémillon component shows strong from this bottle, with a more serious tone and structure flanking the bruised yellow citrus and olive oil flavors. Kiwi and passion fruit notes bring freshness and…
This was best on PnP and served relatively cold. Juicy, luscious, plush, succulent, and all the words that make you want to take a dip in the ocean at midnight in Bora Bora when it's still 100…
Still plump with vanillin lemon curd on the front end, with the luscious components outweighing much precision or delineation of flavor. Comes off a bit ripe. Served next to a 2016 Vice Versa Platt…
Hot and ripe on the first pop, but then it gets right into a nice stride, inviting another sip (and another bite of food). Plump black cherry, black and red currant, red and black licorice, and…
A much more poised and refreshing bottle than the last visit I had with this wine. Depth and bass tone penetration is achieved successfully in part because it has the upper elevation citrus zest and…
Yellow and white peach, lemon curd, dried apricot, honey, chamomile, plantain chip, and orange rind make for more of a white Rhône profile here than a white Bordeaux. A more serious wine, with…
Somewhat similar to my experience with this wine from 2.5 years ago (June 2, 2018), though perhaps more relaxed and accessible at this juncture in terms of front-end approachability. Earth, spice,…
Pushing three years since I last had this wine. For me, it is still one of the benchmarks for California Chardonnay. This particular bottle delivered all of the goods. Alcohol and heat were in total…
This bottle certainly showed this wine's inclination toward flaunting its dominant dry Semillon core, with ripely bruised pineapple, red apple flesh, and banana leaf notes elbowing in front of the…
Gorgeous purple-red berry fruit saunters effortlessly across the palate with dark soil, wet cedar, cigar leaf, and black spice notes. Carries with it a conspicuous amount of sediment, but it's so…
With its plump yellow citrus core on full display, the 2017 Ma Princesse is showing a more vanillin-laced profile than six months ago when I last sampled it. A rounder dose of creamy oak and some…
Fairly similar to last year's notes. Still continuing to exhibit its beautifully textured vanillin yellow citrus notes in a style that is both balanced and suggestively, subtly energetic. It doesn't…
Red-fruit driven, with red cherry, spice, and earth skipping across the palate in a primary and somewhat washed-over delivery. Some heavy cassis notes (which I'm finding have really been a hallmark…
A late harvest that does what it can to avoid becoming too clumsy or cloying. It's rich and viscous, but never heavy. Ripe, sweet peach, nectarine, and dried apricot make up the lion-share of flavors…
Tropical up front without being too Hawaiian pool boy in your face about it, aided primarily by an exquisite smoothness that completely encompasses the core and judiciously corrals any would-be…
From Oakville, this sample was opened yesterday (which seemed to show a little bit of its evolution in terms of frame over flavor at this point). Nevertheless, red and black cherry fruit show good…
Fuller and richer than the Mon Chevalier and Passionnment, this suave debutante impresses for its plush black cherry liqueur core that gratifies the palate from stem to stern. Notably balanced with…
The spice trade is alive and well in the 2012 Passionnement, with all sorts of Indian spices and black pepper swarming around the black raspberry and black cherry core. Finishes dry (not as dry as…
A Bordeaux lookalike from Knights Valley that offers up some old school flavors of red and black currant, black and red cherry, tobacco, underbrush, and some leather. Finishes with an herbaceous…
Red cherry, earth, spice, and a floral emlement that adds lift. Pure and clean on entry, with rhubarb and red raspberry picking up the rear and adding to an even more complete execution of complex…
From the Ritchie site, the Ma Princesse delivers a serious push of mineral-inflected yellow citrus flavors. Outstanding energy, even after having been open for 2 days! More pure and vibrant than the…
From Fort Ross comes this super silky and creamy specimen that manages to reach such textural excellence that it glides effortlessly on to the palate without any sense of heaviness or sluggishness.…
Refer to previous notes. Continue to hold, though this is offering gorgeous and pure yellow citrus fruit flavors, with an exquisite balance and a near-flawless glide. Worth keeping in the cellar for…
