Andrew Cullimore

9.5

Medium lemon yellow , persistent fine perlage . At first quite shy , needs a bit of time to get going . Then buttered pastry , confit lemon and roast nuts , quite bold and rich , just a hint of chalky minerality . On the palate the richer , deeper theme continues , those pastry and buttery notes , confit lemon and a creamy mouthfeel . Long balanced finish , the chalky acidity really helping to cut through richer , mouth filling profile . Coming back to this at the end of the meal , having sat 6 hours in the glass , this still shows remarkable freshness and life. This seems young to me still , certainly has everything for a long life ahead , better in 5 years perhaps and will show well a further 10-15 perhaps . — 4 days ago

Jakub Kalinowski

9.0

Surprisingly restrained & cool on the nose. Needs some time to open up.
On the palate this is a bit bolder yet still quite cool style. Nice energy & depth. A bit of heat in the finish.
Still very young, with the wood still sticking a bit out. Very high quality wood but sticking out. Will def improve with time.
A nice one. — 11 days ago

Jeremiah Diaz

9.5

Medium straw in color; passionfruit, jasmine, and white peaches on the nose; high acidity; tastes like guava, lemon, pear, and kiwi with a long fruity finish. Nellie likes it and I love it! — a month ago

with Nellie

Bob McDonald

9.4

I haven’t had a lot of experience with Napa Valley Chardonnay but this was most enjoyable. Rich and mouth filling, creamy. Stone fruit and almonds. Barb said white flowers on the nose. Apparently this was picked early and malolactic fermentation was blocked. Oak influence is totally integrated - balanced. I paid $147 AUD in Brisbane in September 2021. A lot dearer than what you might pay in the States I would guess. — a month ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Popped and poured to celebrate a pretty cool personal and professional achievement; enjoyed over a two hour period. This particular bottle has been stored in my cellar since release. The 2004 “La Grande Dame” pours a brilliant yellow color with medium+ viscosity and a persistent mousse of fine bubbles. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of golden raspberry, Meyer lemon, some apple, some brioche and nuts; just a touch oxidative. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. However, I feel compelled to share that this gave me the overall impression of a sort of liquid lemon-raspberry custard croissant with shaved almonds on top. It was awesome. The finish was long and there is some palpable density in this wine. So much so that I think these easily have another 10-15 years in them. That being said, this was yummy and I wouldn’t hesitate to enjoy now. — 21 days ago

Scott Kahn

9.0

Deep gold in color. Lower acidity than expected. Lots of white stone fruit and sweetness with some biscuit on the palette. Great complement to Brie. For the vintage and the producer a little underwhelming. — 10 days ago

Damian

8.9

Pale straw color, grassy notes, acidic and balanced with a finish that lingers in your mouth. — a month ago

Taylar Hart

9.7

Incredible aging in bottle. Like a pineapple cake but not sweet of course. Just so much more intensity of the tropical notes it has when young. — a month ago

Jay Kline

9.4

A buddy brought out this bottle of 2010 Clos de la Coulée de Serrant to help toast a great achievement this past weekend. One can probably imagine my excitement as I’m a massive fan of these wines by Nicolas Joly. However, I feel compelled to admit that these wines are not for everyone. They vary wildly from one vintage to the next and there can often be quite a bit of bottle variation to boot. None of this has swayed me from my position; that these are amongst the most exciting, singular expressions of a place that I have ever experienced.

Popped and poured. The 2010 pours a deep golden color with medium+ viscosity and no signs of particles or gas. On the nose, the wine is redolent of white tree flowers, desiccated apples and apricots with orange marmalade, honey, lanolin, marzipan and light clove. On the palate, the wine is dry with borderline high acid that is somewhat masked by the equally high alcohol (15%). Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and remarkably rich with wooly, unctuous texture. The high alcohol only becomes apparent as the finish lingers but there is so many other more fascinating things for me than to get distracted by it. Is it oxidative or not? That’s an argument that other people can have. I’m content to simply appreciate these wines for what they are. You can drink these now but knowing how these react favorably to air, it’s probably best to open it well in advance and probably even better to decant. Otherwise, I would expect sound, well-stored examples to live through 2040. — 23 days ago

Ira Schwartz

9.6

Tasting group meet up with many of the regulars not able to attend . I knew the organizer invited someone whom we had not tasted with in about 15 years . He certainly made an entrance bringing this, in magnum no less. When poured it showed a fine mousse but it faded quickly. A very broad nose that hinted of some age. In the mouth it was like a sports car traveling a highway. Almond , brioche and some oxidative notes sped thru my mouth. The flavors accelerated only to linger similar to when you take your foot off the accelerator. Coasted effortlessly with no need to step on the brakes — a month ago