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The fruit for the Sbragia Limited Chardonnay came from their Gamble Ranch Vineyard. Located in Oakville, this vineyard customarily yields their most intensely flavored and rich Chardonnay fruit, and consistently provides flavors that Winemaster Emeritus Ed Sbragia calls “unctuous.” "Intense, ripe, rich and opulent. Well-constructed, with pear, melon and hazelnut flavors that are deep and concentrated, ending with a toasty oak presence but also lots of ripe fruit. Drink now through 2010. 5,800 cases made. –JL" - Rated 91, Wine Spectator "More restrained than normal, the 2005 Chardonnay Sbragia Limited Release offers copious quantities of honeyed fruit, full body, a rich, heady mouthfeel, but not the unctuosity normally found in this cuvee. Additionally, the oak is more restrained. There is abundant richness, but the vintage’s acidity provides plenty of vibrancy and precision. It should drink nicely for 3-4 years." - Rated 93, Robert Parker "The only criticism I have is excessive new oak. In this case, it’s 100%, and the sweet char, smoky vanilla and brûléed butterscotch flavors completely dominate. Good as Beringer’s top Chards are, they’re not Montrachet, and the wine simply cannot shoulder that burden of wood. Having said that, it’s still an elegant wine, and oak devotees will love it. — S.H. (11/1/2007)" - Rated 89, Wine Enthusiast "Oak is the subordinate player to nicely ripened elements of juicy apples in both the bright, lightly lemony nose and broad, easy-to-taste flavors of this ample Chardonnay, and, if slowly showing notes of leesy complexity, the wine remains fixed on convincing fruit from front to back. Although a fairly full-bodied wine and finished with a scant touch of last-minute heat, it is buoyed by a fine streak of fruity acidity and stays in balance throughout." - Rated 91, Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wines " Exotic honey and apricot aromas are almost botrytis-like. Large-scaled, fat and full but less sweet than usual for this bottling; chewy and savory. Strong fruit is complemented by butterscotch and nuts on the rich, chewy, very long finish. The healthy acidity of 2005 gives this added power." - Rated 93, Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar |
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