I was pretty well set up for disappointment when a acquaintance told me that this was the best Chardonnay he had ever tasted. 'Buy a bottle if it's the only Chard you buy all year'. I was skeptical, but I plunked down the $40 anyway, hoping that the wine would deliver.
I'm not a huge Chard fan, but there is a certain expectation that comes with a wine that is the 'best' that someone ever tasted. I was hoping for, but not necessarily expecting, the white wine equivalent of another 1982 Leoville Las Cases like experience . Instead I got more of a 2002 Beringer Private Reserve like experience. I tasted some pear and a bit of citrus, maybe some slate, but the darned oak was just a bit much for me and really detracted from the complexity. I wish I had the $40 back to spend on a nice Mersault. Notice that I called him an "acquaintance, not a "friend". The recommendation did nothing to change his status. Not a bad wine, but certainly not "best ever".