Arnaud Ente Meursault

Not a great vintage in Burgundy, but who cares. Arnaud Ente is a true master of Chardonnay. This wine was so young, it blew me away. The colour had no sign of aging at all, a bright medium yellow with a slight golden reflection. I think the provenance was impeccable. The nose screamed Ente, with a reductive/toasted popcorn note, fresh and ripe yellow fruit, a creamy/lactic quality, yoghurt like, and a light toastiness, sous bois character. Incredible aromatics, they kept …

Golden color. Lovely aged Chardonnay fruit with a medium long and balanced finish. Delicious. (90)

Soft with maple french toast; citrus; harmony; acidity present; crispy with nice finish.

White Burgundy Flight (Arlequin Wines, San Francisco) : Medium yellow. Smoky nose. Middle weight, round, smoky palate with some citrus and a kernel of bitterness. Average acidity. The flavors are neutral without real authority, and the lasting impression of one of heaviness despite having some attractive elements.

Round buttery soft velvety; maple syrup; some banana; light and well balanced.

Mellow oaky earthy smooth delicate creamy lemon tangerine vanilla caramel; minerally with long balanced and rich finish.

Dinner At Cyrus March 2010 (Healdsburg, CA) : Rich and ripe, some cinders on the palate when drunk on it's own, but with a rich and earthy dish of morels, young garlic and poached egg this really hit the spot

Suffers a bit from the curse of 06 for whites, showing a bit fat and ripe, with a fair amount of oak as well. Overall good balance and enjoyable, but I probably would have guessed this as a California Chardonnay if I hadn't brought the bottle. Nice but not memorable, and definitely not up to my expectations for this producer.

Wonderful wine, with great minerality and very expressive fruit. The only thing that kept me from going to 92 points is a touch too much oak. But that may also be a personal issue of mine, since I am very sensitive to oak. Others who had this wine with me loved it and would have supported a 92 score. Either way, this is a very good wine.