Vino Fino Tasters
1998 California Chardonnays
August 16, 2000
I called the host to find out what wines were being tasted on this evening.
I ventured to San Francisco to taste them anyway.
That's dedication!
| THE WINES |
Gerald's Rank |
GROUP RANKING |
Total Points |
1sts/2nds/Lasts |
| BERINGER 1998 Founder's Estate $10 |
5 |
7 |
38 |
0/1/1 |
| BERINGER 1998 Napa Valley
"Regular" $15 |
2 |
1 |
16 |
4/2/1 |
| BERINGER 1998 Private Reserve $35 |
1 |
2 |
23 |
2/1/0 |
BERNARDUS
1998 Monterey $16 |
8 |
8 |
45 |
0/1/4 |
| CHALONE 1998 Chalone Estate $24 |
3 |
6 |
34 |
0/0/0 |
| FERRARI-CARANO 1998 Alexander Valley
$24 |
4 |
3 |
31 |
1/0/0 |
| LOCKWOOD 1998 Monterey $15 |
6 |
4 |
31 |
0/0/0 |
| SANFORD 1998 Santa Barbara $18 |
7 |
5 |
34 |
0/2/1 |
This sure was a sorry bunch!
The Beringer Private Reserve was clearly the cream of this modest crop.
It had sweet, woodsy, vanillin notes which were quite proper and correct and it seemed
close to dry.
The group's favorite wine, Beringer's "regular" Napa Valley
bottling, had a more leesy, smoky and sharp note. This less-than-perfectly-clean element
caused one taster to rank it last, although in this bunch, it was one of the more
interesting bottlings. I thought it was off-dry, too.
Chalone's 1998 was my third place wine. It has sweet and toasty oak with
a "waxy" sort of character, too. There are mildly buttery notes to this fairly
crisp white.
Ferrari Carano was my fourth place wine. The nose shows toasty, oaky and
vanillin notes. I can't say for certain that this is dry. It is also fruity on the palate.
Fifth place on my score card was the Beringer's "Founder's Estate."
This is a new, modestly-priced line to replace the "Napa Ridge" brand they
recently sold. It was slightly sweet and had a woodsy note, but no real integration of
fruit and oak.
My sixth place was was Lockwood, a Monterey County property. This had
practically no character of Chardonnay and just a hint of oak. It seemed low in acidity
and perhaps slightly sweet. Quite ordinary.
Seventh place was Sanford's 1998 Santa Barbara County Chardonnay. I
thought this was slightly sweet and reminded me more of a white wine from France's Alsace:
perhaps a Pinot Gris with a few drops of Riesling....No thank you, anyway.
The last place wine had a faintly corky quality to it. Bernardus has made
some good wines in the past, but this ain't one of them. At least, not this bottle. It
must be re-tasted for a fair evaluation. In any case, it seemed a bit sweet, flat and
flabby--elements which don't usually change on account of bottle variation.
VINO FINO TASTING ARCHIVE
2007 RUSSIAN RIVER PINOT NOIRS February 2010
A
RANGE OF FRENCH CHABLIS WINES January 2010
HOLIDAY DINNER
& WINE MARATHON December 2009
ROSÉ
SPARKLING WINES November 2009
ARGENTINEAN
MALBECS October 2009
WEST
COAST CHARDONNAYS September 2009
GREEK
RED WINES August 2009
2005
BUDGET BORDEAUX July 2009
CAMPANIAN
WHITE WINES June 2009
MIXED
BAG OF CALIFORNIA PINOT NOIRS April 2009
RIOJA
WINES, MOSTLY FROM THE 2004 VINTAGE March 2009
NORTH
COAST PETITE SIRAHS February 2009
SYRAH
& PETITE SIRAH COMPARISON January 2009
A
VINO FINO CHRISTMAS December 2008
MOSTLY
2005s: NAPA CABERNETS November 2008
SONOMA
COUNTY PINOT NOIRS October 2008
SANTA
RITA HILLS -2006 VINTAGE- PINOT NOIRS SEPTEMBER 2008
NEWLY
RELEASED ZINFANDELS August 2008
WHITE
RHÔNE VALLEY WINES JULY 2008
LOIRE
VALLEY SAUVIGNONS JUNE 2008
FRENCH
CHABLIS 2005-2006 MAY 2008
NORTHERN
RHÔNE SYRAHS APRIL 2008
SANTA
CRUZ MOUNTAINS PINOT NOIRS January 2008
ANNUAL
HOLIDAY CHRISTMAS DINNER December 2007
WEST
COAST CHARDONNAYS November 2007
AUSTRALIAN
SHIRAZ October 2007
SPANISH
TEMPRANILLO WINES September 2007
SONOMA'S
2005 VINTAGE ZINFANDELS August 2007
CURRENT
RELEASE (2004-2005) ZINFANDELS July 2007
ROS
WINES FROM ALL OVER June 2007
ITALIAN
LAGREIN WINES May 2007
ARGENTINEAN
MALBECS April 2007
SOUTHERN
HEMISPHERE PINOT NOIRS March 2007
MOSTLY
2004 CABERNETS February 2007
CRU
BEAUJOLAIS January 2007
A VINO
FINO CHRISTMAS December 2006
CALIFORNIA
ZINFANDELS November 2006
PINOT
NOIRS of VALUE-PRICING October 2006
WORLD
OF SYRAHS TASTING September 2006
AUSSIE
CABERNET-SHIRAZ BLENDS August 2006
ALEXANDER
VALLEY (California) and MARGARET RIVER (Australia) CABERNETS July
2006
CALIFORNIA
PETITE SIRAHS June 2006
2004
NORTH COAST PINOTS and a FRENCH INTRUDER May 2006
AGLIANICO
: BASILICATA & CAMPANIA'S MAJOR RED WINE April 2006
NERO
D'AVOLA - A TASTE OF SICILIA March 2006
UNDER THE
VINO FINO RADAR ZINFANDELS January 2006
HOLIDAY WINE
TASTING & DINNER December 2005
BUBBLIES FROM AROUND
THE WORLD November 2005
NORTH
COAST PINOT NOIRS October 2005
STATE
OF CONFUSION CABERNETS September 2005
TIM
ZAINER'S SIDEWAYS LOOK AT MERLOTS August 2005
LOIRE VALLEY CABERNET
FRANCS June 2005
CALIFORNIA
SYRAHS March 2005
2002
CALIFORNIA CABERNETS February 2005
VINO
FINO HOLIDAY WINE MARATHON December 2004
CHARDONNAYS
OF MODEST PRICE November 2004
SPANISH
TEMPRANILLO October 2004
2002
CENTRAL COAST PINOT NOIRS September 2004
AUSSIE
SHIRAZ-CABERNET BLENDS August 2004
GEWRZTRAMINERS
FROM ALSACE July 2004
2001
SOUTHERN RHNES (7 Chteauneufs & a Vacqueyras) June 2004
AGLIANICO
WINES FROM CAMPANIA & BASILICATA May 2004
MONTEPULCIANO
WINES FROM THE ABRUZZO & MARCHE REGIONS April 2004
SONOMA
ZINFANDELS February 2004
1997
BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO January 2004
VINO
FINO HOLIDAY BACCHANALIA 2003
2001
CTES du RHNES September 17, 2003
2000
OREGON PINOT NOIRS August 20, 2003
WEST
COAST SYRAHS July 16, 2003
2000
Bordeaux June 18, 2003
2000
CALIFORNIA CABERNETS May 21, 2003
OFF
THE BEATEN PATH SYRAHS APRIL 16, 2003
2002 NEW ZEALAND
SAUVIGNON BLANCS March 19, 2003
1999
California CABERNETS February 19, 2003
VINO
FINO HOLIDAY BACCHANALIA December 4, 2002
AUSTRALIAN
SHIRAZ August 21, 2002
CHAMPAGNES
& SPARKLERS July 17, 2002
Interesting
Paired CHARDONNAYS
May 15, 2002
2001
Southern Hemisphere SAUVIGNON BLANCS Feb. 20, 2002
1999 ZINFANDELS January 16, 2002
HOLIDAY
SEASON BACCHANALIA
December 5, 2001
1999-2000
New PINOT NOIRS November 14, 2001
1999
CALIFORNIA ZINFANDELS October 17, 2001
1998
CALIFORNIA CABERNETS September 19, 2001
1999
LANGUEDOC REDS August 15, 2001
1997
SAUTERNES July 18, 2001
Mostly
1998 NEBBIOLO June 20, 2001
1999 PINOT NOIRS May
16, 2001
1996
SAINT-MILION Tasting April 18, 2001
CARNEROS
CHARDONNAYS March 21, 2001
1984-1985
NAPA CABERNETS/John Vignau Memorial Tasting October 20, 2000
1997
CALIFORNIA CABERNETS September 20, 2000
1998 CALIFORNIA
CHARDONNAYS August 16, 2000
WINES
FROM THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE: CLARETS June 21, 2000
WINES
FROM UNDER THE TUSCAN (and Umbrian) SUN Aprile 19, 2000
1997 BORDEAUX: MEDOC May 17,
2000
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