2017 The Judge Chardonnay
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The 2017 Chardonnay The Judge is wonderfully polished and nuanced. Tangerine peel, hazelnut, dried flowers, chamomile, mint and lemon confit all open up in the glass. The 2017 has put on quite a bit of texture in the last year and has become much more complete than it was when I tasted it previously. Light on its feet and also incredibly graceful, the 2017 is positively stellar.
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Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
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The 2017 Chardonnay The Judge prances out of the glass with flamboyant notes of baked pineapple, green mango, apricot preserves and nutmeg with underlying nuances of sea spray, lime blossoms, yuzu, almond croissant and crushed rocks plus a waft of beeswax. Full-bodied, the palate is charged with amazing energy, featuring loads of tightly knit layers and a scintillating backbone of freshness, finishing with decadent creaminess and with that lingering “The Judge” mineral signature coming through at the very tail end.
The 2017 Chardonnay is powerful and rich in the glass. At this stage, The Judge is not that differentiated from the Napa Valley Chardonnay, but that will almost certainly come in time. Today, the 2017 is embryonic and still a bit hidden by a vein of sulfur, and yet there is much resonance and texture.