As good as Clos Pegase’s 2003 regular Chardonnay was, this is richer, more complex and more satisfying. It’s an oaky wine, with buttered toast and caramel layers on top of tropical fruit flavors. Somehow, acidity pulls it all together, and the wine is balanced. Best now through 2007.
— S.H.
(7/1/2006)
A steely, mineral-like wine that neatly balances firm acidity with fairly rich body. The wine is clean and crisp but also shows off pretty hints of melon, grapefruit and lemon. Long, clean and fresh at the end. A serious effort for this varietal.
— J.M.
(2/1/2004)
Here’s a fruit-forward, jazzy wine that’s juicy in honeydew, lime, peach, apple and oak. With all that fruit, it seems on the sweet side, but it’s dry, and the acids are perky and mouth-cleansing. Really nice, and bravo to owner Jan Shrem for putting it in a screwtop.
— S.H.
(5/1/2005)
A very nice, super-drinkable Chardonnay marked by brisk, cool-climate acidity and a bracing minerality. The pineapple, peach and apple flavors have the slight herbality you often find in Napa Chardonnay.
— S.H.
(8/1/2010)
You’ll find plenty of Pinot character in this dry, crisp wine. It shows cola, cherry, rhubarb and tea flavors and the elegantly silky mouthfeel that Carneros achieves with the variety. Drink now.
— S.H.
(7/1/2006)
This wine drinks a bit lean and austere, especially considering the vintage and neighborhood. The primary flavors veer toward herbs, tobacco, plums and coffee, backed up by hefty tannins and an overlay of oak. It’s very dry.
— S.H.
(6/1/2004)
Cola, root beer, black cherry, sweet oak and smoky vanilla highlight the flavors of this rich wine. It has a velvety texture, with soft tannins. Turns a bit cloying and syrupy on the finish.
— S.H.
(6/1/2004)