Chardonnay Wine Tasting Notes

1999 KENWOOD
Sonoma County Chardonnay
Score: 89.0
" Exquisitely balanced, buttery, with bright Barlett pear fruit, a touch of citrus, subtle spice and silky smooth texture. Its a round, elegant wine - all of a piece. As good as many wines that are twice the price, the Kenwood Chardonnay is an excellent value. "

1999 Meridian Vineyards
Santa Barbara County Chardonnay
Score: 89.0
"A full-bodied, velvety smooth, dry, tropical fruit style Chardonnay. Papaya and guava fruit combine with crisp acidity and a light smokey background on the mid-palate, leading to a mineral and fruit finish. Consistently a good value and the epitome of the California style."

1999 Wyndham Oak Cask
Hunter Valley Chardonnay
Score: 89.0
"A delicious Chardonnay, really tasty. Lots of appley fruit, light cinnamon and vanilla, silky texture and a long dry finish. A good $20 Chardonnay for half the price. Great value!"

1999 Callaway Coastal
California Chardonnay
Score: 89.0
"Forced to look beyond Temecula for grapes, Callaway has reinvented itself with Callaway 'Coastal' [see Letter from the Editor, Oct/Nov00]. Peach, papaya and lime-bright and vibrant, with a citrusy finish. Excellent value."

1998 Hawk Crest Vineyard Selection
California Chardonnay
Score: 82.0
"Medium bodied with a silky texture and a crisp acid edge, tart and citrusy, with a warm finish. "

1998 Rutherford Ranch
Napa Valley Chardonnay
Score: 83.0
"A full-bodied, apple and citrus Chardonnay with a creamy texture and warm finish. Simple, but well-made and an easy match for a host of fish and poultry and pasta dishes."

1998 Stags Leap Wine Cellars
Beckstoffer Ranch Napa Valley Chardonnay
Score: 84.0
"Lean and dry with muted apple character on the palate, light oak spice and an astringent finish."

1998 Chateau Ste. Michelle
Canoe Ridge Estate Vineyard Columbia Valley Chardonnay
Score: 84.0
"Red delicious apples, a little butter, silky texture, and a touch of oak spice on the warm finish. "

1998 Chateau Ste. Michelle
Cold Creek Vineyard Columbia Valley Chardonnay
Score: 85.0
"A velvety Chardonnay with dry lemony fruit and fully integrated oak spice. Big and angular, its best saved for full-flavored dishes."

1998 M. Trinchero Founders Estate
Napa Valley Chardonnay
Score: 86.0
"M. Trinchero is Sutter Home Winerys top-of-the-line label. This is a full-bodied, velvety textured Chardonnay with dry, appley fruit, toast and spice. "

1998 Stags Leap Wine Cellars
Napa Valley Chardonnay Reserve
Score: 86.0
"Butterscotch, vanilla, nutmeg and muted apple fruit on the nose and palate, bone dry and slightly astringent in the finish. "

1998 Beringer Sbragia- Limited Release
Napa Valley Chardonnay Estate Bottled
Score: 88.0
"The Sbragia designation is always made in a bigger, more powerful and riper style than Beringers regular Chardonnay. Big, oaky, smokey, with loads of pear-like fruit and cloves, this is not a wine for the faint of heart. Pair with full-flavored dishes more traditionally suited to red wines, and spicy fare. Very well-made for the style."

1998 Antinori Cervaro Castello della Sala
Umbria [italy] [chardonnay/greccheto
Score: 88.0
"Heres a case where an alternative to Chardonnay can be mostly Chardonnay. In this case 80%, to 20% of the native Grechetto. The wine has fascinating mineral-earthy aromas, dry citrusy fruit, smokey oak nuances, and a long, complex yet subtle finish."

1998 Beringer
Napa Valley Chardonnay Private Reserve
Score: 90.0
"Intense fruit reminiscent of grilled pineapple with cinnamon, crisp acidity, yet silky smooth on the palate, and an uplifting fresh fruit finish that lingers for minutes. Serve chilled, "

1998 Kendall-Jackson
Paradise Vineyard Arroyo Seco Chardonnay
Score: 91.0
"When we unveiled the wines I was surprised to see that this was a Kendall-Jackson, as its drier and leaner than the usual KJ. Made from a single vineyard in Monterey County, it displays lemony fruit on the nose, while on the palate it has complex mineral character over dry citrysy fruit, and a long minerally finish. The oak is entirely subordinate. Interesting, well-balanced and a good value, it can serve as an aperitif, or pair particularly well with shellfish."

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