Reminding me of an elevated version of the 2015 Tor Hyde Chardonnay, the Torchiana had a nice pop of minerality and salinity to frame the yellow citrus, lemon, white peach, and some oaky vanillin…
A fat and stylized California Chardonnay, with buttered popcorn, vanilla oak, and lemon curd notes rushing over the palate. A bit of a bruiser with its butter-bomb, cheesy sex kitten personality,…
Yellow citrus, light lemon oil, and some minerality all come together fairly nicely in this Chardonnay. Went down easy and was a good start to the afternoon tasting. Nothing too vivacious or overtly…
Unfortunately a very confusing wine for me. Threw off a lot of sediment and was extremely bitter. The prominent bite clamped down on any discernible flavors, making for a totally muted and flavorless…
No formal notes. Paired with the cheese plate. Primarily hard, salty cheeses, which worked well with this wine. Nothing flashy fancy; a basic middle-of-the-road white.
The proverbial California Chardonnay. Rich, buttery, oaky, and popcorn-laced. A bit oily (which I actually liked), but certainly lacked complexity and some delineation of flavors; overshadowed by the…
Lovely and smooth. Not especially memorable as a stand-alone drink, but obviously well crafted. Classic SB flavors; not a tropical fruit bomb, but not plagued with an alkaline/wet stone astringency…
Same as my December 2015 notes, except that I found this to be even more humdrum than last time. The fruit has faded even more so than I remember from 9 months ago.
PnP with notes of lemon citrus, pear, popcorn, and a bit of vanilla. Straightforward and simple, but a pleasant drink nonetheless. Air didn't change this much. In the end, a little humdrum.
Pleasant notes of lemongrass, light citrus oil, and hints of dry hay, stone, and vanilla. An easy drinker, but not especially complex or popping with any discernible personality.
What I consider a "typical" low-mid range, mass produced California Chardonnay. Round, butter, vanilla, wood, and ripe yellow citrus flavors. One-note and simple, with no surprises up its sleeve.
A very balanced SB, with a nice cut on the back end, but overall a little soft and thin mid-palate. Acid was fine; some notable light citrus and grass notes. Not especially memorable.
After taking some time to really treat this wine right, it indeed opened up into something nice. Impeccably balanced, impressive texture, and a notable finish. Everything was certainly "in balance,"…
Same as my notes from December 2015. Unique and a bit reduced, with a woody, sherry-like dryness on the finish. One of the only domestic Sauvignon Blancs I've had that needs years before it's really…
Bitter and dry. Seemed to have all of the not-so-pleasant aspects of a Sherry or Jura-like wine. Nothing like Kevin's Saint Marigold (which I have enjoyed in the past).
Notes of lemon zest, lemon curd, white peach, stone fruit, river rock, and a faint vanilla flavor. Ended with a unique pebbly and almost spicy minerality on the back end.
A very well balanced Viognier, with typical notes of white peach, green apple, citrus flowers, lemon, and a hint of wet stone. On the lighter side of medium-bodied, but held its frame nicely…
A beautiful wine; the AO Reserve Chardonnay is near-perfectly balanced, with silky lemon and citrus fruit flavors, some stone and tufa, light/ripe pear, and a gorgeous kiss of vanilla on the back…
