Greg Ballington

Co-Founder of Millennial Drinkers Wine Blog

8.9

Last white at Elyse Winery. Medium greenish yellow. Balanced nose with citrus, gravel and a bit of butter on the backend. Medium plus acidity (6.5/10) with medium minus bodied. Layered palate with a bit of malo showing through. Notes of straw, citrus rind, wet stones and white spices. Long finish. Drink till 2024.

Interesting blend made up of 86% Chardonnay and 14% Pinot Blanc. Fruit is sourced from three vineyards in Sonoma County: Hi-Vista, Smith and York Creek Vineyards. Aged for 16 months sur lie in 30% new French oak barrels. — 6 days ago

with India

Shay A

9.4

Heintz fruit is some of my favorite and for some reason, it’s normally easy for me to identify, this being no different. I always get an overload of guava with Heintz Chardonnays, like this one, on the nose. Big aromatics of roasted Meyer lemon and ripe tropical fruits. Oak isn’t a star here, as the acidity takes center stage. Sharp and focused down the middle. Apricot, underripe pineapple and lemon oil on the palate. 13.2 ABV. I know Littorai picks super early, so it’s impressive that they are able to get this beautiful amount of pure fruit.

I followed this over 2 days and day 1 was sharp acidity and led me to believe this needs another few years to integrate. Day 2, the acidity mellowed and the fruit really warmed and became very perfumed. I’d probably hold, but no harm in opening now if you have time to follow/enjoy it. — 8 days ago

Sipping Fine Wine

8.9

Family-owned and operated since 1985. Grapes sourced from several Napa Valley Carneros vineyards, aromas of ripe fruits & sweet spice with smoke notes. On the palate complex fruit, apple, pear & peach with cinnamon and vanilla spices giving way to toasty oak. Lots of French oak aging, perhaps too much. Big buttery oak finish ending a bit bold, about on par with the 2014 vintage (last reserve I tried). For $10+ less, their Alexander Valley Chard from a cooler climate showed more finesse, one of my Fav’s. — 3 days ago

Ceccherini Cristiano

9.1

It has the nose of a Grand Cru, but not the lenght
Nose though, it's spectacular
It started at a very cold temperature and by warming up has fused to the mineral notes and fruity the oak component in a sweet, but nonetheless sophisticated way
It definitely showed the potential and the style that this vineyard has
5th meeting on Burgundy — 4 days ago

with Claudio, Mauro and 2 others

Severn Goodwin

9.3

16-20 years ago I was shunning Chardonnay, now in retrospect I'm fully convinced I was simply trying to like the wrong stuff. In the late 90's there was a great proliferation of heavily oak influenced CA Chardonnays to choose, they were every place within reach at every shop. Had I started with Chablis, likely my take on the grape would have evolved more respect earlier in my palate development.

Fast forward to recent times, and I simply can't get enough of white Burgundy. The diversity and complexity of flavors, all derived from the growing environment, still astounds.

The bottle at hand is likely my favorite Chardonnay from anywhere, in the sub-$30 price point.

Nose of a distant seashore, lemon skin, lemon squeezed over flint, slate and granite slabs. (I'd really like an oyster right now!)

Palate is lemon-y tropical fruits, limestone dust and citrus pith, so rich with a med-long finish.

Chablis...So Good! If I were to ever write the manifesto of the Chardonnay fan, it may begin with Léchet fruit. — 5 days ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.0

Chardonnay from 3 vineyards in Sta. Rita Hills AVA, barrel fermented in 55-degree winery, and aged for 10 months in French oak (72% new), light sunshine yellow with aromas of stone and tropical fruits with citrus notes. On the palate subtle fruit flavors of apple, pear and citrus, complex, with crisp acidity and oak that just kisses the wine, not overdone. Soft texture, good rich mouthfeel, lingering, well balanced ending with earthy minerality. Small production about 230 cases. Very Nice! Tasting Sample! — 3 days ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.1

I bought nearly a case of this years ago. I’m guessing 5 plus years ago. I think I paid somewhere $16.99 - $19.99 a bottle and its proven to be a very good QPR steal. Sadly, my last bottle.

I found it in a box encased in styrofoam. It has been on the side floor of my garage at least that long. This Cremant was even better than I remember it despite its poor storage. I was expecting far less and was really only curious to see if it was still good. I will say it doesn’t get hot on the California Coast often but, I am surprised by how well its held up and even improved slightly.

This bottling represents to me how good of Cremant/Sparkling wine can be made in Burgundy and in the hands of a good producer. The climate and soils are not all that different than Champagne.

This Bourgogne Cremant was lively in the mouth. Good acidity. The body showed a lot of mousse. Bright lemon, lime, grapefruit, green apple, its taken on just some very light honey notes, beautiful, soft chalkiness with spring flowers. The finish was rich, delicious and lingered on the palate for minutes. Great with dessert and sipper to close out the night.

Photos of; Domaine Henri Boillot, some of his beautiful Chardonnay grapes, Owner/Winemaker-Henri Boillot and a wide shot of one of his vineyards. — 13 days ago

Dr. Owen Bargreen

9.3

The 2017 Knudsen Vineyards Chardonnay was sourced from their estate vineyard in the Dundee Hills AVA of the Willamette Valley. Weighing in at 13.5% alcohol, this starts off with a bouquet of Meyer lemon zest, Challah bread, Pink Lady apple and shades of clove. The palate reveals a silky texture and a soft mouthfeel that feels more than inviting. There is a wonderful feeling of elegance to this wine as it drifts through the palate in a seamless fashion. Citrus fruit and melon flavors connect with the bright minerality. Showing beautifully now, this will continue to develop lovely nuances as it evolves over the next decade or more. Drink 2019-2032- 93 — a day ago

Ron R

9.1

Finally, wifey and I can report some progress. Wine cellar is now finished, and we love it. The germ of the idea came from @Mo Salem when we were in demolition phase. We took it from there. 6 months later, here were are.
Onto the Kistler, which is a lovely example, but I detect it’s on the decline. Having said that, it has a great nose of peaches, honey and pistachios. Visually, you can see that the chassis is a rich, golden color, suggesting corrosion. Palate is creamy and dense. Acid has given way to some cardboard notes, but this is still a good example from a great producer. — 8 hours ago

Mark Flesher

9.3

Steely chard. Poured a lighter amber. Nose of Asian pear and a hint of honey on the entry. High acidity. Lots of things going on in the middle. DEFINITELY not a fruit bomb nor a butter bomb. Lots of mineral driven, earthy and youthful fruit. With such high acidity, this wine will have no issues aging for another 15 or so years. Drink now with a couple hours of bottle decanting, or hold another 3 to 5 years. — 3 hours ago

with Dan and Shay