In article
>,
cwdjrxyz > wrote:

> On Jul 28, 10:29*am, Lawrence Leichtman > wrote:
> > In article
> > >,
> >
> >
> >
> > *cwdjrxyz > wrote:
> > > The Chalone Vineyard Pinot Blanc Estate, 1992 was stored properly by
> > > me since release. It had a high fill and no cork issues. The color is
> > > very light lemon. Chalone often has made remarkable Pinot Blanc that
> > > will take age, and this is no exception. It still is very fresh with
> > > not a hint of oxidation. It has a cool feel even though at 13% alcohol
> > > by volume, it is no light weight. There is more mineral character and
> > > less tutti-frutti character than most California Chardonnays have.
> > > This makes it a better food wine than Chardonnay for many dishes. The
> > > bouquet is subtle, but complex, and reminds one somewhat of beeswax
> > > and a complex mixture of sweet herbs with a trace of something floral
> > > and very aromatic. There is plenty of clean and smooth acidity. I rank
> > > it higher than many California Chardonnays costing more.
> >
> > > The Montelle peach eau de vie is the usual high strength. It is
> > > perfectly clean and completely dry as a true eau de vie should be. It
> > > takes about 8 pounds of peaches to make a small half bottle of 350 ml.
> > > As for most eau de vie, this should be served near freezing in pre-
> > > chilled small glasses and taken in small sips. Otherwise the vodka-
> > > strength alcohol is overbearing. The bouquet is clean with some peach
> > > skin smell as well as perhaps a hint of the pit. The taste is clean
> > > with no burned taste that can result if spots of the still become
> > > overheated. I don't know what kind of still they use, but many in
> > > Europe use a special German still with a water jacket to prevent
> > > overheating and burned tastes. I consider this Peach eau de vie to be
> > > of high quality, but I would have to compare it with others to say how
> > > high.
> >
> > This seems to be about all that Chalone is making lately that I still
> > enjoy. Their wines have become quite pedestrian grocery store fare.
>
> Thanks for the report on recent Chalone wines. I have heard that the
> quality of their wine has changed since the 90s. That is a pity,
> because the old estate wines came from a microclimate well suited for
> Burgundy type grapes. I have not bought any of their wines since the
> mid 90s, so I have no direct experence with recent ones.

They were bought out about 4 years ago and the quality went down quite a
bit.