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NOTES > SONOMA
CHARDONNAY
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SONOMA
CHARDONNAYS
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October 11, 1999
• Old Doc's Discount Liquors
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We limited ourselves to
appellations in Sonoma County and many of them were
represented (all except Carneros, Sonoma Mountain and
Sonoma Coast). Another group of very nice wines overall
(sigh!). All nine earned recommendations, while one
deserved "BEST
BUY" honors. In
addition to ties in the scores for the 1st/2nd and
5th/6th places, a set of duplicate bottles were split in
the rankings (1st & 6th), indicating the narrow range
of overall scores and the high quality of the wines in
general. Panelist's style preferences weighed heavily
in the results (not that there's anything wrong with
that...).
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Brand
Vintage,
Varietal or Type
Appellation
-$ price / Alc. Content
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Consensus Tasting
Notes
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#Rank
Buying
Advice
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Ferrari-Carano
1997
Chardonnay
Alexander Valley -$20.
/ 13.7%
alcohol
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Medium yellow;
complex pineapple, peach, tropical fruit with
buttery, smoky, leesy and minerally undertones;
very ripe and fat, easy-drinking with faint oak and
some leesy, barrel-fermented flavors; very clean,
long finish.
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#1
(tie)
Very
Highly
Recommended
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DeLoach
1997
Chardonnay "OFS"
Russian River Valley
-$29.
/ 14.5%
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Medium yellow;
complex pear, apple, citrus, honey, toast, spice
and floral aromas with a faint overripe character
(Muscat?); very pleasant fruit flavor entry, big
with ripe, jammy, complex and balanced flavors
throughout; long, pleasant finish (OFS=Our Finest
Selection).
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#2
(tie)
Very
Highly
Recommended
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Rodney
Strong
1997
Chardonnay
Chalk Hill -$13.
/ 13.5%
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Deep yellow to
light gold; very big, rich, ripe, tropical, lemon
and pineapple aromas with slightly buttery, nutmeg
and spice barrel-fermented notes and a hint of
filter pad; big, rich, creamy, viscous, barrel and
ripe pineapple fruit flavors with a touch of pine
sap (oxidation?); very long finish.
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#3
Very
Highly
Recommended
BEST
BUY
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Matanzas
Creek
1996 Chardonnay
Sonoma Valley-$27.
/ 13.5%
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Light yellow;
clean, pleasant lime, mineral,tropical fruit and
Granny Smith apple aroma; light fruit flavors, very
little oak; elegant style, crisp balance and
slightly tart finish.
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#4
Very
Highly
Recommended
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J.
Pedroncelli
1997 Chardonnay
Dry Creek Valley "F.
Johnson"-$14.
/ 13.5%
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Medium yellow;
attractive smoky-toasty oak, hazelnut (oxidation?)
and bread dominate a ripe apple aroma; clean, yet
slightly harsh, coarse oak flavors mask fruit;
short, tart, faintly tannic finish.
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#5
(tie)
Highly
Recommended
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Ferrari-Carano
1997
Chardonnay
Alexander Valley -$20.
/ 13.7%
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Medium yellow;
rich, pineapple-tropical fruit with some nutty,
toasty, leesy notes; soft, easy entry and
well-balanced, clean flavors with a slightly oily
texture (bordering on flabby); faintly hot
finish.
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#6
(tie)
Highly
Recommended
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Murphy-Goode
1996 Chardonnay
"Reserve"
Russian River Valley -$28.
/
13.9%
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Medium yellow;
dried apricot, citrus and apple aroma with a touch
of resin; good mouthfeel, ripeness and depth to the
apple, butterscotch and oak flavors; balance
somewhat sweet; long, though slightly hot and
faintly harsh finish.
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#7
Recommended
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Dehlinger
1997 Chardonnay
"Unfiltered"
Russian River Estate -$18.
/ 14.2%
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Light to medium
yellow; honeysuckle and apple aroma with toasty,
buttery, diacetyl, leesy elements and full
malolactic quality; lots of pleasant upfront oak
and leesy flavors, but lacking in fruit
flavor.
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#8
Recommended
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Arrowood
1997 Chardonnay
Sonoma County -$22.
/ 13.9%
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Medium yellow;
light floral, ripe apple fruit aroma with some
mineral, musty, pencil shaving and oak hints;
pleasant vanilla, somewhat light, almost bland
flavors with a slight tannin harshness;
comparatively austere, short finish.
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#9
Recommended
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This
Panel
included Glenn, Diana, Roy, Marlene,
Jon, Ray, Jim, Ron, Greg and
James
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