David Arthur, Chardonnay, Napa Valley

Christmas Part 2024

Okay chard. Drink it now.

Outstanding wine, esp at this price point.

Not as awestruck by this bottle as April's example, but still fantastic. Almost any non-tart fruit flavor attributable to chardonnay seems to be present in this wonderfully balanced wine; tropical, tree fruit, melon, and on and on. Tonite's quibble would be the DELICIOUS but dominating crème brûlée finish, which lasts forever. Not a bad problem to have.

Buttery oak nose. The palate isn’t quite as oaky as the nose would suggest, but this is clearly a Napa Chard. Great wine if this is your style.

Having had other bottles of this wine, tonite's has no business being a NEARLY PERFECT chardonnay. This unexpectedly transcends. Could drink this wine almost every night at varying temps, varying ages, and with (OR WITHOUT!) varying foods and fine-tune it to suit almost any desired taste. In short, perfectly crafted and balanced.

Not overly buttery and long spice finish. Unique and good.

Right on the cusp of outstanding, and indeed just over the line (to the good). A very clean, crisp Chard; pale straw color and fairly clear would suggest something light, but that's not true here. At the same time, neither was it heavy, oakey or sweet. Just clean and bright; an outstanding counterpoint to homemade pesto (we get to try lots of Chardonnays against homemade pesto in our house; this was clearly favored). Tart, mouth-puckering tastes of green apple and …

Beautifully soft chardonnay. Many subtle notes of butterscotch. A fabulous wine on a lovey summer night.

Very nice. mature, notes of pineapple, brown sugar and butterscotch. Smooth, not acidic. just the right amount of oak to my taste, not too much.

GRAPEFRUIT AND LEMON IN THE NOSE. FLAVOR LIKE THE NOSE BUT SOFTER WITH MORE MELON. MEDIUM TO LONG FINISH.