Curd

• 

  October 2009

  Chateau Ste Michelle Chardonnay Cold Creek Vineyard Columbia 2007

  Snoothrank:

  Tight and taut on the nose with restrained fruit and moderately heavy, sweet, ... layered with notes of lemon curd, honeycomb, toasty butterscotch and that continuing undercurrent of peachy fruit. This is a lot of wine, but it’s certainly not for everyone. 89pt

  Wine review by Gregory Dal Piaz

  
  
• 

  October 2009

  Maycas del Limari Chardonnay 2007

  Snoothrank:

  Clear on the nose with a subtle biscuit notes over mineral and citrus oil fruit ... full of peach and lemon curd flavors that leads to a lovely finish with a surprising return of minerality. 91pt

  Wine review by Gregory Dal Piaz

  
  
• 

  October 2009

  Antonin Rodet Macon Villages 2007

  Snoothrank:

  Delicate and quite floral on the nose with underlying notes of mineral earth, ... a bit of a creamy, lemon curd mid-palate fleshing out as it airs. There’s a nice layer of melony fruit in the mouth and excellent length for a modest Macon. This is fresh and delicious showing just a... Read moreDelicate and quite floral on the nose with underlying notes of mineral earth, ... a bit of a creamy, lemon curd mid-palate fleshing out as it airs. There’s a nice layer of melony fruit in the mouth and excellent length for a modest Macon. This is fresh and delicious showing just a whisper too much oak but so sapid and minerally it’s easy to overlook. 89pt    (hide)

  Wine review by Gregory Dal Piaz

  
  
• 

  September 2009

  Loredona Riesling 2008

  Snoothrank:

  The nicely complex nose features typical floral, and lied honied lemon curd notes with a touch of exotic banana. This is off dry but well balanced with supple, lemony fruit and a nice herbal counterpoint. Simple and easy yet appealing. 84pts

  Wine review by Gregory Dal Piaz

  
  
• 

  September 2009

  Whitehaven Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough 2008

  Snoothrank:

  Very light yellow straw in the glass. The nose is fresh as spring with ... and elegant showing lemon curd, grapefruit, sour apple and almonds. The finish is refreshing. Much better than last time I tried it. Now, I mean this in the best way possible, you could carbonate this stuff,... Read moreVery light yellow straw in the glass. The nose is fresh as spring with ... and elegant showing lemon curd, grapefruit, sour apple and almonds. The finish is refreshing. Much better than last time I tried it. Now, I mean this in the best way possible, you could carbonate this stuff, sell it as a (unsweetened) soft drink and make a fortune    (hide)

  Wine review by Eric Guido

  
  
• 

  September 2009

  Evesham Wood Winery & Vineyard Chardonnay le Puits Sec Blanc 2007

  Snoothrank:

  Light straw color. Aromas of lime and grapefruit with hints of honeysuckle and ... body with pear and lemon curd flavors. Nice fresh finish. Good bottle and fantastic for the price. Another great performance

  Wine review by Eric Guido

  
  
• 

  September 2009

  Mount Eden Vineyards Chardonnay Wolff Vineyard 2007

  Snoothrank:

  - nutty, slightly smoky aromatic wood, a hint of bacon, green herbs, dried ... of dried apple and lemon curd fruits. Finishes with a easy touch and gentle woodspice and golden apple fruit tones. White fish in brown butter sauce 87pt

  Wine review by Gregory Dal Piaz

  
  
• 

  July 2009

  Stuhlmuller Vineyards Alexander Valley Estate Chardonnay 2007

  Snoothrank:

  Crisp, lightly oaked nose with hints of butter, popped corn and lemon curd. Palate is juicy, lemony, round and big with and a nice acidic aftershock that sticks around for a bit delivering more fruit and oak.

  Wine review by mark

  
  
• 

  July 2009

  Good Daughter Chardonnay 2007

  Snoothrank:

  Has some nuanced smoky oak tones light a light lemon curd and cut nectarine fruit tones. In the mouth this is a touch sweet and round with a fleshy, friendly feel. A bit soft but shows a sense of restraint as well. 85pts

  Wine review by Gregory Dal Piaz

  
  

• July 2009

  You’ve heard it before I’m sure. Anything but Chardonnay, and I mean ... tones light a light lemon curd and cut nectarine fruit tones. In the mouth this is a touch sweet and round with a fleshy, friendly feel. A bit soft but shows a sense of restraint as well. 85pts Both... Read more You’ve heard it before I’m sure. Anything but Chardonnay, and I mean ... tones light a light lemon curd and cut nectarine fruit tones. In the mouth this is a touch sweet and round with a fleshy, friendly feel. A bit soft but shows a sense of restraint as well. 85pts Both Cheryl and Evan found this to be a bit grassy though Didi and Paul both found nice citrus tones on the palate. Michael David Vineyards 7 Heavenly Lodi 2006  14.5%        $15.00 A fairly raw woody nose is a touch blunt. There is good acidity here but the wine needs it to balance out the sweetness. A bit of Fruit Stripes gum, artificial banana flavor on the round palate that turns a bit spicy with a bitter, pithy edge to it on the angular finish. 83pts Eddie thought this was "over the top" and Cheryl and Paul both found this to be typically oaky and indistinctly fruity. Toasted Head Russian River Valley 2006 13.5%             $14.00 Not particularly aromatic with integrated spice tones and hints of floral, pear, and pineapple. In the mouth this is smooth and balanced with a touch of mineral cut and a dry leanness across the mid-palate that keeps the subtle fruit and spices tones in harmony. This finishes with a hint of refreshing minerality. 86pts Several people commented on the stinky aspect of this with Didi noting that it was sulfury and Evan added that the buttery. apple flavors grew on him. Flight 2 -  Cooler Climates, than Napa at least. Kunde Estate Sonoma Valley 2007 13.8%                $18.00 Earthy and slightly minerally on the nose with dried apple, pineapple and dried floral tones that have a sage like edge. In the mouth this is focused with a big acid spine that keeps this fresh and juicy but not weighty. The flavors are a touch soft and subtle but recall nectarines and apples in a creamy, creamsicle style that grows on the long finish which has a delightfully sneaky return of sweet orchard fruits. Eminently drinkable 91pts Everyone enjoyed this wine though Paul wanted to see more acidity  and Didi noted a "chemical" scent the consensus was that this was something to go out buy and share with friends. Stuhlmuller SV Estate Alexander Valley 2007 14.2%        $22.00 A lovely nose with nuanced honey, toasted wood, nutmeat, yellow flowers and dusty earth tone. In the mouth the texture is just fantastic, bright and balanced with intense yet tense and focused mandarin orange, apricot and fig notes that are framed with just a hint of almond and measured oak notes. The finish is fruity, clean and crisp with refreshing acids and a delicacy to the flavors that makes this a winner for geek and novice alike. 93pts Cheryl liked the "oily texture" of this wine and both Paul and Evan commented on the " caramel and hazelnut" oak tones. Didi found it "tinny and metallic". Bouchaine Carneros 2006 13.9%                    $20.00 This is laden with sweet fruit aromas but has a raw wood note that adds an acrid edge. In the mouth this is very fruit driven with a hint of wood derived honeyed sweetness up front that yields to a chemical vanilla tone on the diffuse mid-palate. This does gain a little bit of creamy intensity on the backend and has good length but the finish feels a little stripped and spoofed. 85pts Eddie went back and forth on this one, finding that the wine alternated between " a bit skunky" and "exotic fruit".  Cheryl and Evan both noted off aromas but then went on to say that they enjoyed both the texture and the flavors of the wine. Flight 3 - Napa Valley Duck Shack Napa Valley 2007 14.2%                 $24.00 A touch of vanilla on the nose but this is driven by lime, apricot, and pineapple fruit tones that seem fresh and bright. Zesty acid on entry is followed by cool, crisp flavors of green fruits, pineapple and peach with creamy vanilla undertones and light wood spice notes. The texture is lovely and shows excellent integration. This is refreshing yet doesn’t lack power or richness and finishes with an absolute flourish of lime, starfruit, and peach fruit salad notes with even a hint of blueberry. Delicious 92pts Nearly everyone loved this wine, though Didi felt the palate was a let down after the nose. Paul notes that this was a "big lemon bomb" and Cheryl added it"like Goldilocks, just right!" LaTour Mt. Veeder 2006 14.5%                    $25.00 Very oaky on the nose with buttery, nutty, vanilla candy notes that almost become tarry in the glass. Big and soft with lots of flavor but not much focus. This is not fruit driven and while made and in a way Burgundian, with a touch of rocky minerality on the mid-palate, seems a bit to aggressive and lacks a sense of elegance. In it’s own way it is intriguing with a smoky, hazelnut scented finish that has a certain allure but this is not for everyone. Given time I can see this emerging into something distinct and enjoyable.88pts Both Eddie and Evan found a lot of oak on the nose here with "coconut oil" and "strong toast flavors".  Paul found the nose to be "the most complex so far with orange blossoms, fig and fresh cream then oak, oak, oak on the palate." Frank Family Napa Valley 2007 14.4%                $28.00 This has a nice dominated by spicy French oak with dried apple fruit and a bit of lemon oil. In the mouth this is very bright up front with big citrus tones that yield to a rich, viscous, powerfully built mid-palate full of pineapple, peach and apricot tones with plenty of acid backing it up yet it still becomes cloying and sticky on the backend. The finish is also sweet with big, pure notes of cinnamon toast with cream and vanilla. A lot of wine that’s not my style but should find many admirers. 90pts For the most part everyone enjoyed the "rich, oily, full, dense" mouthfeel of this wine but the intensity was off-putting to some as was the "spintry oak that paul found though Didi enjoyed the "caramelized, molasses  flavors." Flight 4 - Up and down the coast Ch St Michelle Caone Ridge Estate WA 14.1%            $20.00 The nose here is subtle and seductive with notes of eggshell, lime leaf, butchers wax, and a wildflower sweetness tat is seductive. A leaner style in the mouth, really taut and focused with intense notes of very fresh orange, peach, pear and papaya fruits that even have a suggestion of red berry. A bit soft on the backend yet with great freshness to the slightly exotic tropical fruit flavors. The finish is a little light with a hint of mineral and hazelnut adding complexity. Very nice stuff 92pts This wine split the crowd with Eddie noting that this was " big, full and seductive, caressing and bold like Naginsky." while Paul felt it was "full of black tea, too simple and no fun." Ojai Solomon Hills CA 2007   14.0%                $30.00 This smells very hard yet has intense and pure chardonnay fruit with background notes of saffron, honeycomb, and forest floor. Very bright and full of malic acid in the mouth that supports the intense lemon, peach and grapefruit oil fruits in the mouth. The huge acidity keeps this large scaled wine remarkably focused and highlights the wonderful purity of the fruit. The finish is snappy and as refreshing as can be with a gentle almond tone and a hint of toasted coconut. This retains a tightly coiled feeling and I expect this might get even better in the cellar. Not for everyone but a brilliant style of Chardonnay. 92pts This was not liked by the group. Paul though it was simply "bad" and Didi felt it had a "strong, bitter, pungent taste." With time some of the group fund more to like though with Cheryl noting that " it did a 180 going from dirty and funky to clean and and pleasant with a bite." Eddie added, "this was probelmatic but ended up tieing for my number 2." Stoller Estate Dundee Hills OR 2006 14.1%                $31.00 This smells heavy like white chocolate pudding with lots of caramel notes from the wood and not much fruit. In the mouth this is lush and chewy yet feels a bit to fat with good fruit but not much follow through and finishes with over-ripe tropical fruits and movie theatre popcorn. 86pts The oak on this wine was noted by all with most tasters finding it to be, as Evan put it, "creamy and spicy." Paul liked it's "creamy white raisin and mango" flavors while Cheryl found it to be "  astringent and oaky" but still enjoyed the caramel and fruit flavors. Well that was it. I was actually very surprised by how much I enjoyed several of these. It's been too long since i took a look at West Coast Chardonnay and I am glad I took the time to give these a test drive. I found a few for my summertime drinking. How about you? Ready to join us in the ABcC club? Gregory Dal Piaz Community Manager Snooth    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Join the ABcC Club! by Gregory Dal Piaz

  
  

prev 1 2 next