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

Conrad Green

9.5

Bright fruit. Almost tropical with hints of mango and bright bold flavors. Minerality and purity with great poise. Delicious — 7 days ago

with Jean-Francois, Tony and 2 others

Conrad Green

9.5

Beautiful and bright and punchy. Sulfur and bright lemon. So Coche… gorgeous — 7 days ago

with Chris, Tony and 2 others

Jeroen Koenen

9.8

OMG…!
This wine is already so unbelievably tasty and juicy and creamy and harmonious…. Breathtaking.
Destined for a perfect score in a few years’ time. — 4 hours ago

Alan Snitow

9.2

Creamy, mine — 17 days ago

Conrad Green

9.4

Lovely bright tart mineral fruit. Great structure and balance — 7 days ago

with Jean-Francois, Tony and 2 others

RJ Stefanski

9.4

I’ve now had 3 consecutive vintages (‘20-‘22) of this iconic Chardonnay, and even with the hefty price tag, it has always delivered. Big and bold but I wouldn’t say buttery, tropical fruit salad, exceptional balance with great acidity and a long, high end finish. One of those rare times when the hype is deserved. $70-$75 — 12 days ago

Shay A

9.3

Annual birthday WWC hosting. As normal, 1 sparkler, 3 whites, 4 reds, 1 dessert, all presented blind.

As part of my white wine flight theme, I wanted to compare Hyde and Hudson side by side, then finish with Kongsgaard, since it is a blend of both.

Similar to the Hudson before it, I normally like to drink Kongsgaard on the young side, and also similar to the Hudson, on this day…it didn’t seem to have the typical opulent/massive profile. White peach and apricot upfront as well as sweet cotton candy on the nose. Ripe yellow and tropical fruits dominate the palate with sea salt, ginger and lemon cream. Faint note of butterscotch, but not near the amount I’ve found previous vintages to show. What Kongsgaard does well is have a wine of this profile but somehow find a way to have elegant qualities about it. Decant or hold a few years. — 12 days 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

Jeffrey Woo

9.1

Light golden hue. Aromas of almond, apple, citrus, peach, pear, yeast. Medium body with high acidity. Lengthy finish. Balanced and beautiful expression of Champagne-style sparkler from California. 100% Chardonnay. — 25 days ago