Trione, Russian River Valley, River Road Ranch, Chardonnay 2006 The smell of this wine is quite rich and the mouth follows suit. Yet the rich buttery oakiness is balanced by a lemony essence, keeping it bright - delicious. The wine was barrel fermented and then aged for 13 months. The oak was French and 50% [...]

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Egly-Ouriet, Champagne, Grand Cru, Brut Tradition nv In the nose there is citrus, bruised apples and brown spices as in an apple pie. In keeping with the house style, the acidity is quite profound. This wine is quite tight, very long, very much just a baby at this point. The grapes are sourced from vines [...]

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Sparkling Pointe, North Fork of Long Island, Brut Seduction 2000 In the nose there are fresh and browned apples.  In the mouth there is also a sense of citrus, with pastry richness and note of custard. This is an elegant bubbly - very nice. It took the big award at the Chronicle Competition in January. [...]

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Charles Heidsieck, Champagne, Brut Reserve nv This wine has developed toastiness, nuttiness and a sense of bread dough. The texture is lovely, creamy yet refreshingly acidic. This new bottling was disgorged in 2008 and given a hefty price increase over the previous batch on the market which sold for just under $30 retail.
The base wine [...]

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Louis Bouillot, Cremant de Bourgogne, Perle de Vigne, Grande Reserve, Brut nv There’s a moderate level of concentration and a good deal of complexity for the price which I swear was about $15 but alas the price tag has vanished. The concentration is rather moderate though and not The grapes behind this methode traditionnelle are [...]

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Korbel, Russian River Valley Champagne, Natural’ Méthode Champenoise 2006 As in previous vintages, there’s a nice sense of green apples through and through, making this arguably Korbel’s best and most refreshing sparkler. 70% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay; styled instigated at Korbel by Adolf Heck in 1962, .7% dosage, P&B Guerneville. 12.5% $10.69 at Bottle [...]

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Domaine Charles Audoin, Marsannay, Au Champ Salomon 2005 In the nose this wine expresses minerality and toasty oak along with a little volatility. In the mouth, the acidity is quite electric, with a follow-through of minerality, a very dry Chardonnay. The vines that gave us the grapes for this wine are an average of 30 [...]

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Paul Pernot, Bourgogne, Chardonnay 2007 This wine shows lots of green apples throughout with some added buttery richness on the palate. Mis in Puligny by Paul Pernot et ses fils Michel and Paul 13.5% $18.99 at Bottle Barn

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Kistler, Sonoma Mountain, Athearn Estate, McCrea Vineyard, Chardonnay 2006 The nose is full-on butter and bread dough with flinty notes, a sense of minerality. In the mouth the richness quadruples, with boatloads of butter and hints of lemon and green apple coming through with time in the glass. The wine was barrel fermented, treated to [...]

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Kimmel, Mendocino, Chardonnay 2007 The tropical notes on this wine are explosive.  It’s as if there’s a banana Popsicle hiding in the glass. Joining with the fruit there are brown spices and a sense of freshly-split oak. In the mouth the wine is quite ripe, with oakiness, warmth and tropical fruit showing on a silky [...]

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Dutcher Crossing, Alexander Valley, Stuhlmuller Vineyard, Chardonnay 2007 There’s toasitness, nuttiness, fresh oak and bread dough in the nose.  The mouth features fresh apples and vibrant acidity with oaky richness as an enhancement rather than a cover over the fruit - very nice. Winemaker Danny Glover with Kerry Damskey consulting. P&B in Healdsburg 14.4% $34 [...]

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Patz & Hall, Russian River Valley, Dutton Ranch, Chardonnay 2006 The nose speaks buttery richness from the get go, with toastiness and apples. The mouth is full-on thick with butter yet balanced by acidity - very concentrated. Proprietors Donald & Heather Patz, James Hall and Anne Moses Cellared and bottled in Sonoma 14.2% $31.99 at [...]

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Talley, Arroyo Grande Valley, Estate Bottled, Chardonnay 2007 Like the ‘06 there is a balance between freshness and richness, this time with more accent on the rich. There’s loads of butter in the nose and the mouth is quite viscous. Yet underneath is a core of green apple and stone fruits to give the wine [...]

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Penet-Chardonnet, Champagne, Grand Cru, Grande Reserve, Extra Brut nv There is a light golden color in the glass and the biscuit notes are quite developed in the nose - very complex. Besides the biscuits there are browned apples, cherries and toasted nuts. The mouth is electric with acidity, tasting of granny smiths and cranberries. This [...]

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Talley, Arroyo Grande Valley, Estate Bottled, Chardonnay 2006 There are toasty notes in the nose and a sense of freshly cut oak. In the mouth there is citrus fruit and a sense of richness - nicely balanced. The fruit was sourced from the Rincon and Rosemary’s Vineyards. Grown Produced & Bottled in Arroyo Grande 14.5% [...]

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Paul Pernot, Puligny-Montrachet, Les Folatieres 1er Cru 2006
The nose features minerals and a bit of fruit. The mouth is rich, buttery and oaky yet the acidity and green sense of green apples balances the picture - very nice. Mis in Puligny by Paul Pernot et ses fils Michel and Paul 14% $62.99 at Bottle Barn [...]

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Deux Montille, Puligny-Montrachet Premier Cru, “La Garenne” 2005 As in the Montagny tasted previously, Burgundy’s minerality comes through and this time with a shower of oak. This wine is rich with nuttiness and doughiness but has a razor of acidity behind it. Winemaker Alix of the famous De Montille family. 13% $59.99 at Bottle Barn

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Grgich Hills, Napa Valley, Estate Grown, Chardonnay 2006 In the nose there is citrus and toasty notes. The mouth is quite crisp, as it traditionally is. There’s no ML for this Chardonnay. Estate Grown, P&B in Rutherford 14.3% $42 at Traverso’s Grgich

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Girard, Russian River Valley, Chardonnay 2007 The fruit for this wine is sourced from the Dutton Ranch and the Porte Cochere Vineyard. This is a rich and thick Chardonnay that carries its weight well. The acidity maintains a spring in this wine’s step while the nose enunciates toasty oak and stone fruits. P&B in Sonoma [...]

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Stonestreet, Alexander Valley, Chardonnay 2006 The nose is toasty and oaky while the mouth combines red and green apples with silky, buttery richness. P&B in Healdsburg 14.5% $28 at the winery Stonestreet Wines

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Bouchaine, Napa Valley - Carneros, Estate, Chardonnay 2006 The nose combines freshly split wood, vanilla, toast and stone fruits. The mouth is full-on with oak essence and butter layered over peaches and green apples. The wine received all of the bells and whistles from the winemaker, including battonage  as well as ML for 50% of [...]

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Schramsberg, North Coast, Reserve 2001 The nose is very smoky and toasty, with a sense of freshly buttered pastry. In the mouth, the wine is reminiscent of a fresh pastry made with lemon and custard and topped with lots of lime cordial - a sweet-tart essense that is quite long. This wine is very rich, [...]

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Egly-Ouriet, Champagne, Grand Cru, Rose, Brut nv Concentrated red fruits mark the nose. The mouth repeats this expression of fruit on a layer of minerality. - very young, very dense and very long - yes. The grapes are sourced from Ambonnay, Bouzy and Verzenay, 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay. Approximately 30% reserve wines were [...]

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Jacquesson, Champagne, Cuvee No.732, Brut The name of Jacquesson’s nv brut changes with each successive base wine, the current release being No. 732. The nose features floral notes, sweet in nature, like jasmine with a sense of candied fruits - very pretty. The mouth is very dense, with fresh and baked fruit flavors. While there [...]

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Tarlant, Champagne, Brut Zero The nose features minerality, toast and citrus fruits. The mouth is bone dry and austere, like biting into the pith of an orange. The grapes are roughly 1/3 each of the players in Champagne, namely Chardonnay and each of the Pinots.  The base wine is mostly from 2005 with the addition [...]

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Domaine Anne Gros, Bourgogne, Chardonnay 2001 The last time I poured this it wasn’t a big hit but it really showed nicely. Today it’s pushing a little further over the hill with more nuttiness and volatility that will put off some. Yet I love the complexity of flavors in the mouth and the way that [...]

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Domaine Anne Gros, Bourgogne Hautes-Cotes de Nuits, Cuvee Marine 2006 The nose sports a nice combo of minerality and toastiness. The mouth is thick, rich and buttery yet balanced by a sense of green apples and their acidity, which keeps this wine from being cloying - very nice. Mis a Vosne-Romanee par Anne Gros, Proprietaire-viticulteur [...]

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Deux Montille, Montagny Premier Cru, “Les Coeres” 2005 The nose displays a perfect mix of Burgundy’s minerality balanced by fruit, in this case a sense of citrus. The wine is full-on concentration with lots of acidity and some silky butteriness that is integrated into the wine rather than overwhelming it - superb!
Winemaker Alix of the [...]

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Verget, Macon Villages, “Grand Elevage” 2006 There’s a mix of minerality and doughy notes in the nose while the mouth is steely with a bit of slipperiness coating the tongue, adding richness to the austerity. From Jean-Marie Guffen, whose Chardonnays have been a consistent spot-on value in notes back to the 2003 vintage. Vinifie et [...]

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I had the opportunity to meet with two respected growers from Champagne at the WineWise and Terry Theise tasting today in San Francisco. Both are producers as well, crafting dynamite sparklers, each with their own house style. If forced to make a choice, I would take the Pierre Gimonnet wines to my desert island, as [...]

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Clarbec, Sonoma County, Pinot Gris 2007 There’s fresh tropical fruit and subtle oak in the nose. The fruit comes through in the mouth with a caress of acidity and a little bit of richness - very nice. The grapes were sourced from the Lila Lane and Clarbec Vineyards. 33% of the wine was fermented in [...]

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Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin, Champagne, Demi-Sec nv
There are floral and candy notes to smell while the mouth has a smooth fruitiness accented by the touch of RS. The grapes behind this wine are 55% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay and 15% Pinot Meunier. Elabore a Reims 12% $46.59 at Bottle Barn Veuve Clicquot

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