2007 Terrien Chardonnay
$70.00
12/12/2022 – DAN KRAVITZ: 96 Points
Pale straw color. A 2017 California Chardonnay should look like this! The aromas are both broad and penetrating, also amazingly varied; there is both apple and pear, just under that is a beautiful floral note, under that an herbal hint, and faintly, both earth and minerals. The palate is an absolute joy. The texture is medium to full-bodied, with an excellent blend of opulence and acidity, some real succulence here. The flavors precisely follow the aromas. The finish is quite long, but not ‘forever’ long. Still, this is a simply stunning glass of 15 year young Chardonnay. As this is my first experience, I hesitate to predict longevity, I’ve only got one bottle left (hope for 2 more), no worry to hold another year or two, five would be no surprise.
This tastes more old-world than new, like a mélange of 1er Crus from Meursault, Puligny and Chassagne. If succeeding bottles are in this league, I will add Terrien to my short list of great California Chardonnays, with Mount Eden, Ridge, Mayacamas and Stony Hill. This would be the first non-mountain CA Chardonnay to enter my personal pantheon.
9/18/2022 – WINEJ2019 LIKES THIS WINE:91 Points
I agree w other reviews, hard to believe this is 15 yr old CA chardonnay. More Burgundy than CA, this has nice acidity and a flinty / steely quality.
6/3/2021 – MAINEMARK LIKES THIS WINE:92 Points
As others have noted, pretty remarkable that this is a 14 year-old wine. Bright and clean, it is incredibly well balanced: it is hard to find any flaws here or anything that makes you say, “that was good, but…” That said, my only “but” would be (as others have previously noted) the finish is a bit on the shorter side. I have a few more bottles, and plan to try them over the coming years. Looking forward to trying this at age 20 (!!). A really good value too.
3/18/2021 – RON SLYE WROTE:91 Points
This is a lovely aged chardonnay that got better with an hour in the glass. Lovely notes of lemon, hints of coconut. Nice depth suggesting this may evolve some more with time. With more air, some nice notes of white flowers, even some green herbal notes, emerge. The finish is on the short side of medium, with a slight bitter almond note. Hard to believe this is almost 14 years old.
7/15/2014 – PETER KLEBAN LIKES THIS WINE:
***
Fabulous, Burg-like Chardonnay. Profound and compelling. Smooth, deep, long, interesting; wonderful balance and persistence. Great precision. A really superb wine.
8/6/21:
Just as good. Took ca 30 min to open up.
3/2/22:
Bit of an edge on this one. Softened over time, but overall the wine wasn’t quite up to the best of previous bottles.