David Bruce Estate Chardonnay

Anyone try the David Bruce Estate Chardonnay?
I can't find any references to it on the net beside the fact that it was in the 1973 judgement of Paris and came in dead last.
ON the other hand I just bought a half case of the 2004,5,6 vertical. The 2004 and 2006 were awesome - lots of minerality as well as fruit - peach, green apple, bees wax.
2005 was well structured as well , but not as fruit forward. They were the most Burgundian California Chardonnays I've ever had. I loved them.
Surprised I can't find any references to them. Maybe I shouldn't let the cat out the bag.
I've been a fan of Ramey and Hanzell but these I think win out for me.
If I had I good wine cellar and was more financially well positioned I'd buy a number of cases. As is I still plan to get a case of the 2004.

- Kyle Hailey

Anyone try the David Bruce Estate Chardonnay?
I can't find any references to it on the net beside the fact that it was in the 1973 judgement of Paris and came in dead last.
ON the other hand I just bought a half case of the 2004,5,6 vertical. The 2004 and 2006 were awesome - lots of minerality as well as fruit - peach, green apple, bees wax.
2005 was well structured as well , but not as fruit forward. They were the most Burgundian California Chardonnays I've ever had. I loved them.
Surprised I can't find any references to them. Maybe I shouldn't let the cat out the bag.
I've been a fan of Ramey and Hanzell but these I think win out for me.
If I had I good wine cellar and was more financially well positioned I'd buy a number of cases. As is I still plan to get a case of the 2004.
- Kyle Hailey

Kyle,
I've not had the DavidBruce Estate Chard in some yrs now. Back in the late '60's-early-'70's, the David Bruce Estate wines (PinotNoir, Chard, WhiteRiesling, CabSauv) were pretty
highly regarded...including by me. David was/is a big fan of Burgundy. His wines were pretty extracted and hit w/ a lot of toasty/charred Fr.oak...even the WhiteRiesling. I remember
the '73 (dead last in the Paris tasting) well. Huge/intense Chard fruit, somewhat on the fat/porky side, ton of buutterscotchy new oak. The poster child for all those wine writers
who rant & rave about what's so wrong w/ Calif Chard. It didn't have the acid and mineral character of the Hanzell or StonyHill Chards. But it was amazing for the intensity of
the fruit. I loved it. But very obvious Calif Chard...so not surprised they scored it dead last.
In the early '80's, David lost his Estate vnyd to Pierce's Disease and had to replant. Didn't put in the WhiteRiesling, alas. And thru the '80's and into the '90's, the wines suffered
from lackadasiacal winemaking...so I kinda gave up on them. I should go back & revisit them.
Tom

My wife and I were in their tasting room a month or two ago. I don't recall having the Estate, but we picked up a 6 pack of their '08 Monterey chard. I believe that's the first time in my life I've bought more than two of any California chardonnay.

@TomHill
Thanks for the fun back information.
Makes sense that the wines were a bit over the top and the winery went astray in the 80s 90s such that they are off the radar now.
Seems like they might be back on track with the estate chardonnay (the monterey is more typical California - nice, more restrained, but not burgundian)
I'm a bit surprised that the Montelena and Chalone won the Judgement of Paris.
I'm really don't like California Chardonnay in general. Its just too round with not enough structure and often over the top in one direction or another.
I had been impressed with Hanzell and Ramey though Ramey I'm getting a bit bored of and the last two Hanzells I had were 1998 and 2005. the 1998 was awesome, but the the 2005 I just couldn't get anything out of at Thanksgiving last year.
Much of the California top line Chardonnays are too over the top - extracted, fruit forward and with some minerality, but all in all lacking elegance.
Most Burgundy Chardonnay for me lacks fruit, being a bit anemic, though often hinting at greatness and elegance.
My favorite year in white Burgundy, which made me fall in love with chardonnay was 92. The 92s were quite fruit forward but elegant with lots of refined complexity - complexity that was like tantalizing whiffs of perfume not a sledge hammer. I tried them at Becky Wasserman's. She probably had a pretty direct line into the better ones. I went back over the years and tried the producers I had loved at Becky's from 92 but they weren't the same, such as Jobard François,Henri Germain, Henri Boillot and Ballot Millot. The last 3 produces were always nice but not the same magic, on the other hand, Jobard's wines are so tart and restrained, I don't think I'll every be attracted to them again.
I prefer Meursault over Montrachet as Meursault just is some much more exuberant, unrestrained and expressive, though I'll happily accept and good Montrachet any day.
One producer I did like and bought yearly cases from was Michel Bouzereau, though it's been 10 years or so since I've tried their wines. Check this guy out: http://www.hbwinemerchants.com/wine_info.php?ID=9. I use to come taste with him out of the cask. So french. I call them up and ask to come visit. The wife was like 'no, no, no we have no wine available." I was like, " I just want to come visit to see your winery, not to buy wine. I tried your wine at such and such a restaurant (near by in the hills) and was quite impressed. She's like "oh Jacques restaurant?! oh yes we know Jacques. Oh, yes, well come visit we have much of last years still available for Charrons,Limozin, and Tessons as well as just a few bottles of Genevrieres, Charmes, Perrieres that I can pull out for you. " Hillarious - it's all about connection - the web of relationships.
Now that I'm living in the US, I'd prefer to buy local and I'm excited about the David Bruce.
The estate chards are the kind of wines I want to keep drinking after we've finished the bottle - that almost never happens for me and white - such elegance, nuance but enough meat not to be total tease that just lets me down (like many of the real burgundy wines).

- Kyle Hailey

Different strokes for different folks, damn I loved Jobards wines with a few years age on them. They just got so expensive and Kermit Lynch used to ration them out to his customers like diamonds. Not good but great wines.

Yes, is fun to see how peoples tastes vary.

I generally like Kermit Lynch's wines though I wonder how the current selections fair compared to when he first started importing in the 70s and spent more time on the ground discovering cool wineries.
I super enjoyed reading his book and visited may of the wineries in the 90s when I lived in France. It was a trip visiting one winery in the south who's owners were described as young and just starting and when I met them they were practically retiring. Still nice as ever and gave us a couple of bottles!

As far as Burgundy, goes I find most Burgundy to have quite a bit of variation over the years and even given a couple of decent years I find variation with out too much rhyme or reason. For example in 1995, 1996 one parcel is great in one year, and another off and vice versa in another year. On example of inconsistency was Marc Morey - some superb wines in some parcels in some years, and more often quite forgettable in other combinations. Thus it's possible that Jobard's wines I tried were the exception, and it's also possible the Kermit Lynch imported the better wines what was available, but I tried the ones I tried were exceptionally restrained and tart given the years 1995, 1996. As far as style goes I admit, I'm not a fan of Chablis - too crisp and minerally without any meat. There are a few exceptions - Raveneau in strong years is quite nice, but expensive.

One exception to variation is Michel Bouzereau who I found quite enjoyably consistent.