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From: jcg@cbosgd.UUCP (Jim Grams)
Newsgroups: net.wines
Subject: Chardonnay Review
Message-ID: <417@cbosgd.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 12-Oct-84 11:36:33 EDT
Article-I.D.: cbosgd.417
Posted: Fri Oct 12 11:36:33 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 13-Oct-84 08:13:38 EDT
Distribution: net
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Columbus
Lines: 29

I recently attended a blind tasting of California Chardonnays that
was intended to demonstrate the differences between vintages for
Chardonnays.  The following is a summary of my tasting notes:

Poor, don't buy these:
	'82 Far Niente, Napa ($19 in Columbus) Light, no fruit, tart.
	'81 Silverado Cellars, Napa ($8) Bad nose, good taste, bad finish.

Fair, don't but a lot of these:
	'83 Far Niente, Napa ($19) Ordinary, good, but nothing exciting.
	'82 Burgess Reserve, Napa ($10.50) Dirty, but decent.  Acidic

Good, buy if you like:
	'83 St. Clement, Napa ($16) Quite nice, good chardonnay character,
		nothing like the '79 or '80 from them, though.

Great, don't miss:
	'81 Chateau Montelena, Napa ($25) Supurb, expensive and worth it.
	'81 Burgess, Napa ($10.50 -> $8.40 in Columbus)  Great.  Slightly
		sulphury, but excellent everywhere else.  A steal!!!!

We also had a bottle of '82 St. Clement that had a bad cork and was withdrawn.
Tom Burgess is apparently dumping his stocks of the '81 and the price is
dropping, at least here in Columbus.  Buy it for drinking now and for the
next couple of years.

Jim Grams
cbosgd!jcg