Wines from Monterey County

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Talbott 2005 Diamond T Estate Cuvée Audrey Chardonnay (Monterey County)

Price $75

Gigantic in volume, even for Talbott, whose Chardonnays always are big. Just explodes with caramel and pineapple brulée, peach custard, vanilla cream, cinnamon-buttered toast and honey. Almost a food group in itself, this massive wine easily merits its high score, but it will swamp most foods an ordinary Chardonnay would go with. Lobster with butter is one solution… — S.H. (2/1/2009)

points

Talbott 2002 Cuvee Cynthia Chardonnay (Monterey County)

Editors' Choice

Price $55

Anyone can get ripe flavors from Chardonnay grapes these days, and this barrel selection, from the famous Sleepy Hollow Vineyard, is bold in kiwi, pear and nectarine fruit, with toasty oak and lees seasoning. What makes it spectacular is the acidity, which gashes the palate like a bolt of lightning. Endlessly complex, this is a Chardonnay to linger over. Let it… — S.H. (12/31/2005)

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Talbott 2003 Cuvee Cynthia Chardonnay (Monterey County)

Cellar Selection

Price $60

This is a best barrel selection from Sleepy Hollow Vineyard, in the Santa Lucia Highlands. Only 430 cases were produced. It’s a tremendous Chardonnay, just huge in the white Burgundy mode: ripe tropical fruit, new oak, lees, unfined and unfiltered. Right now, it’s a little gangly, like an adolescent who’s growing too fast. But we know this wine knits together as it… — S.H. (12/31/2006)

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Talbott 2005 Cuveé Carlotta Sleepy Hollow Vineyard Chardonnay (Monterey County)

Price $63

Massive, as are all of Talbott’s 2005 Chardonnays. The Cuvée Carlotta brings together powerful, smoky new oak with extraordinarily ripe fruit to make for a wine of fantastic opulence and decadence. The flavors are endless, a cascade of pineapple jam, apricot crème brûlée, butterscotch, cinnamon toast, vanilla cream and cotton candy flavors. As sweet as that sounds… — S.H. (2/1/2009)

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Château Julien 2004 Bravura Red (Monterey County)

Price $85

A 50-50 blend of Merlot and Malbec, this is the most expensive wine the chateau has ever produced, a commemoration of their 25th anniversary. It commands attention for dryness and complexity. The usual Bordeaux flavors of blackberries, plums and mocha are weaved into earthier tastes of salty, cured-olive tapenade and sweet miso, enhanced with smoky new oak. This is… — S.H. (11/1/2007)

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Talbott 2004 Cuvée Carlotta Chardonnay (Monterey County)

Cellar Selection

Price $60

This is a barrel selection from the winery’s Sleepy Hollow Vineyard and is one of the most concentrated Chardonnays in California. Has the honeyed richness of a botrytized wine, but is absolutely dry. Tastes like an apricot and pineapple tart, with seasonings of nutmeg, cinnamon, and the smoky, nutty pie crust. Very few California Chardonnays need time, but this… — S.H. (4/1/2008)

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Talbott 2005 Diamond T Estate Chardonnay (Monterey County)

Price $63

Held back for three years before release, Talbott’s Diamond T is an enormous wine. New smoky oak stands out, contributing caramel, crème brûlée and buttered toast, but the underlying fruit is so powerful, it easily handles it. Prodigious in pineapples, peaches and apricots, with a hint of botrytis, this impressive Chardonnay is balanced with crisp, cool-climate acidity. — S.H. (2/1/2009)

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Talbott 2000 Sleepy Hollow Vineyard Chardonnay (Monterey County)

Price $42

Talbott’s celebrated Chard, now in its 20th vintage, helped make Monterey’s reputation. This year it’s vigorous and masculine, with strong acids and a streak of mineral. But the tropical fruit flavors are ripe and opulent, and oak adds layers of cream, toast and vanilla. Compelling, and it has the structure for aging through the decade. — S.H. (12/1/2003)

Most Reviewed Varietals

Cabernet Sauvignon Chardonnay Gewürztraminer Merlot Pinot Blanc Pinot Grigio/Gris Pinot Noir Red Blend Rhône-style Red Blend Riesling Sauvignon Blanc Shiraz/Syrah

Most Reviewed Wineries

Bernardus Blackstone Ca' del Solo Château Julien Estancia Hilltown Kendall-Jackson Lockwood Marilyn Remark Mirassou Monterra Talbott

2010 Andeluna Altitud

This is a high-quality Malbec with fleshy berry aromas that veer towards…

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