Winery - Au Bon Climat
* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Opulent and captivating, this Chard captures the rich, bells and whistles style of California, while maintaining a sense of style and elegance. Coastal acidity provides a bracing structure for the ripe pineapple, lime, pear, white flower and mineral flavors.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Very ripe, rich and new-oaky, with dazzling flavors of ripe pineapples, pears, limes, caramel and buttered toast, drizzled with vanilla honey. A crowd-pleasing Chardonnay of enormous power and concentration. Could use a touch more nuance and complexity, but a tremendous wine at a good price for the quality.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Rich nutty, toasty and earthy flavors over pears and limes. Big and round, but balanced, with a smooth, long, oaky finish.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
About as rich and flamboyant as California Chardonnay gets, a wine that blows you away with sheer pyrotechnic wizardry. Massive in grilled pineapples, mangoes, Key lime pie, vanilla honey, crème caramel and dusty spices, accented with perfect acidity.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Extremely rich and ripe, with tremendous pineapple, pear, mango and white flower flavors that have been liberally oaked. Shows a touch of bitterness in the finish, which is probably the result of its age. Still, it’s a flamboyant, impressive Chardonnay, like a magnificent old tapestry that’s fraying a bit around the edges.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Amazingly rich and ripe, defining the Bien Nacido cool-climate style. The grapes hung for a long time in this excellent vintage, getting ripe and balanced, and the wine offers dazzling opulence, while preserving vital acidity. Showcases dessert pastry flavors of pineapples, mangoes, buttered toast, buttercream, meringue and honeysuckle, accented with dusty spices. Simply beautiful from first sniff to the last swallow.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Old Pinot aroma, a little stale, with raspberry candy and smoky, vanilla oak. In the mouth, rather too old, dry and brittle, with the fruit fading and a hint of vinegar. Praiseworthy but past its prime.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Alcohol: 13.5%. Fairly pale. Smells young, fresh, clean, piquant in Pinot aroma. Cherries, sweet beet, toast, sweet oriental spice, gingerbread. Acids, tannins and oak upfront now, or is the fruit thin? Delicately structured, silky.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
With the extra heavy bottle and the wax seal, this is an ABC signature wine, and worthy of it. It’s reminiscent of a fine Vosne-Romanée in its extreme youth. Light in color and even in body, its nevertheless got the stuffing of legend. Black cherries come to mind; plum, tobacco, chocolate and spice, too. At the core, there’s solid extract. The finish is long and spicy. This wonderfully expressive wine is for the cellar.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Dramatically layered and exotic, with masses of grilled peach, nectarine, Meyer lemon cream and dusty Asian spices. Finishes dry, complex and compelling. A blend of Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc and Aligoté, from Bien Nacido Vineyard.
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