Snagged this bottle from WineBid. I thought there was a great risk it would be far past its peak. Still, 2001 was a great year and I’d never had an aged buttery chardonnay and wanted to give it a shot.
Boy did this bottle deliver. Cork was in bad shape but the wine was fresh. Wrote notes after the bottle had been open for an hour, with occasional small pours so there was some development.
Color is a beautiful intense gold. On the nose it mostly shows créme brulée, nutmeg, and lemon zest. Flavour is intense, with dragon fruit and banana creating tension with vanilla, brown sugar, and a hint of tobacco on the opposite end. The finish is rather long, although the flavor is somewhat linear. On the front it hits you with medium plus acidity, cream, vanilla, and cinnamon that wrap around the tropical fruit flavors to create a bolus of decadent goodness. The high alcohol level (14.5%) shines through and stand out only on some sips but not others. The aftertaste is of rose petals and marshmallows, and later evolved to include truffles.
This wine is not stunning, but it is a perfectly coherent, and balanced wine. A true treat, and a great surprise since most would have guessed this bottle was gone. The most recent tasting note I found for it on Cellar Tracker is from 2008, but I can easily see this wine holding it up for 5 more years - I sensed no signs of decay.
91/100