Donelan, Nancie Chardonnay, Sonoma County

Forgot I had these laying around and wasn’t expecting much here. Pleasantly surprised how well this has held up. More refined then my previous notes indicate. It is lush and tropical but also shows a nice hint toast and vanilla. At nearly 10 years the structure still holds.

2013 vintage

At $28 off auction this is a fine medium Bodied, somewhat tropical and lush Cali chard

2013 vintage

Agree with others. Drinking more like an entry level meursault. Hints of stone fruit on a muted nose. Palate shows touches of oaky creaminess followed with some tropical fruit and white grapefruit. A great mom wine!

2013 vintage

Enjoyed this better in the tasting room a few years ago when we bought it. :/ Seemed to be in a dumb phase? Alcohol was a bit too prevalent. Fruit had vanished, leaving nothing but some acid and heat. Disappointing and not how we remembered this wine.

2013 vintage

Yes this is a high score for what is their entry Chardonnay (of the two they produce) but I honestly think this is a very fair score especially considering the very reasonable price. I drink quite a lot of Cali Chardonnays and still too many - usually more expensive than this - are too heavy and oaky and out of balance. This was beautiful, elegant and refined. Lovely acidity with peach and citrus flavours balanced out with a very gentle …

2013 vintage

Consistent notes and enjoyable again. Their entry level Chardonnay. Fair bit of texture and depth with lemon and decent acid.

2013 vintage

Quite rich with depth. Not overly Oaked and pleasant. Reminded me of a Rhône / southern white in some ways though this is Chardonnay of course.

2013 vintage

Great Chard. Green apples, lilac, guava.

2013 vintage

Following earlier flawed bottle this one was exquisite. Classic Sonoma County rich, unctuous expression of the varietal. Seemed will continue to cellar well for some time.

2013 vintage

Another outstanding Donelan wine! Enjoy

2013 vintage

Surprisingly good considering I'm not wild about their Pinots (but I do love their Syrahs). Decent acid, lemon, refreshing, light oak, more burgundian

2013 vintage

Delightful Cali chard, from magnum.

2011 vintage

Hope it's a bad bottle but this was past its peak. I will try the last one soon.

2011 vintage

Tasting at Donelan- 8/13/16 : Aromas of tropical and citrus fruits, wet stone, white flowers, and spices. Rich and lush on the palate, but well-balanced. Shows flavors of citrus zest, savory and sweet spices, and flowers. Silky structure with nice acid. Full finish. Very nice.

2013 vintage

One of the best chards ever made in the $30 range in the US. Love it!

2011 vintage

Notes remain consistent. Terrific chard. Glad to have found it for under $25

2011 vintage

Truly delicious. Several layers of fruit. What I really enjoyed was the lack of oak and the focus on the fruit and complexity within. Great mouth feel and finish as well.

2011 vintage

Bold, big and confident, enough so to take on bolder foods. In fact, it stood right up to salmon with a none-too subtle green curry sauce. Held up like Tex Cobb. Similar to Tex, big in the nose... plus, unctuous, fully flavored, toasted and spiced, some minerality. Quite balanced and rewarding. Good value at 34 bucks.

2013 vintage

Really enjoy this wine with a couple of years of bottle age. So many diverse flavors so well integrated.

2013 vintage

COnsistently delicious

2013 vintage

Along with LF, consistently one of my favorite Chards. Expressive complex nose with apple, pears, lemon curd,and honey. Well balanced palate of citrus and tropical fruits with almond and floral notes. The 2013 is possibly the best yet.

2013 vintage

Totally not worth the money. 100% Malo on this is gross and masks anything else good about it. Sight: Pale Lemon Nose: Melted butter, cheese, lemon. Palate: Not a ton of oak, but a disgusting amount of malo. UCK.

2011 vintage

Outstanding, focused, clean and tasteful chardonnay served with shellfish for a dinner on a summer evening; a go to wine to serve family and friends, and guests from afar.

2011 vintage

Buttered popcorn and apple on the nose, with hints of spice and pear. Apple and spice on the palate, with pear and a slight butter finish.

2011 vintage

Fun in a large format

2009 vintage

Sunday Dinner Series (My Place - Washington, DC) : Aromas of melon, pear and popcorn mix with notes of limestone and sea shell. Juicy and ripe on the palate, with flavors of melon, honey, almond and butterscotch. Creamy body, but acid keeps it in check.

2011 vintage

Really enjoyed this. Light straw color. Big nose of pear, apple, honey and mineral. Slightly creamy, but light-medium in body. Flavors of lemon blossom, apple, and melon. Minerality in great balance with acidity. Great overall balance, not your average California Chardonnay. No butter bomb - fresh, lively and crisp.

2011 vintage

Consistent notes - a nice drinker.

2011 vintage

Light yellow color; appealing, pear, vanilla, pear cream nose; creamy textured, tart pear, vanilla, pear cream, apple cream palate with good acidity; medium-plus finish (13.7% alcohol; sample provided by winery; sample provided by winery)

2011 vintage

Great wine, with a nose that changes over the course of hours, balanced between oak, fruit and acid, notes of honeysuckle, citrus and butter

2011 vintage

A crisp young Chard with great taste of crushed stone with a fresh zest to it. Hints of oak and melon make this very enjoyable. Very similar to a French Burgundy

2011 vintage

Pop and pour. Really well integrated intense citrus, restrained wood, saline minerality, glycerine, and balanced with bright acidity. Lovely.

2009 vintage

Expressive nose of stone fruits, citrus,and almonds. Medium bright palate of fresh green apple, lemon curd and floral notes. Long clean finish.

2009 vintage

Blind Tasting - Rhone Varieties (Weygandt Wines - Washington, D.C.) : Big-time aromatics of butter, oak, yellow apple and apricot. The palate is really rich, with flavors of lemon peel, butternut squash. It's got enough acid to keep it balanced, and a rounded mouthfeel from the oak. Still, enjoyable to sip, and it's got some very likeable elements.

2011 vintage

Great bottle of chard. Golden straw color. Apple and apricot on the nose. Crisp Apple and slight citrus on the palate followed by some butter notes and a good minerality on the finish.

2009 vintage

Apple and stone on the nose, with a little citrus and spice, and some floral notes at the end. Apple and citrus on the palate, along with some spice on the mid-palate, and a very good mineral finish.

2009 vintage

Lovely, balanced Chardonnay. Burgundian in style and perfect with the Thai food.

2009 vintage

Enjoying these more and more - acidity and minerality that makes it a nice food wine.

2009 vintage

Tasting at Donelan (Santa Cruz) : My style of Chardonnay. Green apple, crisp, but smooth mouthfeel. 350 cases.

2009 vintage

Coming along nicely - more integrated with a nice minerality

2009 vintage

Enjoyed but was a tad underwhelmed -I'll give this a few months and try again. Certainly more "burgundian" than Cali which I think is the intention.

2009 vintage

Am really glad others liked this - I really wanted it to be good. And it wasn't terrible. Nothing offensive - not too ripe, not over-oaked. But I didn't find anything thrilling here - acidity wasn't there, fruit was very subdued, almost seemed watered down.

2009 vintage

This is just terrific. Citrus driven nose, carrying through to the mouth. Melon flavors as well and a bit of mineral-ness. Crisp and clean, no oak influence at all.

2009 vintage

This was the second wine of the EONY DineAround dinner. This wine just hit Greenwich, and the attendees felt the quality was overwhelmingly on point. The food pairing helped lock in on the subtle flavors, but I could not detect any minerality in mouth. The color was a light straw in color and was clear. EG WineArchitect

2009 vintage

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Donelan, Nancie Chardonnay, Sonoma County

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