Au Bon Climat Hildegard 2004Santa Maria Valley, California, U.S.A.
Much as I love Jim Clenenden's wines....some of the bottles have a large punt at the bottom and weigh a lot..and..we once compared them to a normal bottle..3 times heavier if I remember.This Hildegard is in a VERY dark bottle...no way to see which film star is hiding behind this glass. Mind you...it does have it's amusing moments. Having tried a Chardonnay a couple of years ago...I carried the bottle (staggered) to the fridge to try the rest next day. The following evening I opened it and started to slowly pour a glass....the first of 2 glasses I hoped. Nada....there came a few drops. I asked my wife if she had been using my 'top' Chard for the kitchen..or maybe the cook had been at it herself (denied). What is was of course was..the weight and the darkness. Unless you can guess what you have drunk....you'll end up having to open another bottle of something....and obviously the wine had found a good home in the form of my stomach.This 'Hildegard' is Jim's Hommage to Charlemagne..and there's no denying the likeness...that's if you have been lucky enough to drink any Corton Charlemagne. The original is VERY expensive and takes years to develope......so you have two choices...you have to be patient..buy young and lay it down for 10 years...but who leaves whites in the cellar that long..or buy it at a top price if you are a millionaire from the U.S or Japan.
I first tried 'Hildegard' over a year ago..and was very impressed..Pinot Gris meets Chardonnay. Very similiar to it's big SIS from France.....I decided to leave 2 bottles in the cellar (that's just over a year..just think..10 years!! for a Corton). Miss Hildegard is starting to smell like an old Corton...which doesn't sound appetizing when said like that. Give her some air..and the slight mustiness disappears...creamy texture...but becoming an acquired taste. Methinks the next bottle should be drunk now...or forgotten for 10 years to be the 'surprise' wine at some obscure tasting.
Points 16.75
Much as I love Jim Clenenden's wines....some of the bottles have a large punt at the bottom and weigh a lot..and..we once compared them to a normal bottle..3 times heavier if I remember.This Hildegard is in a VERY dark bottle...no way to see which film star is hiding behind this glass. Mind you...it does have it's amusing moments. Having tried a Chardonnay a couple of years ago...I carried the bottle (staggered) to the fridge to try the rest next day. The following evening I opened it and started to slowly pour a glass....the first of 2 glasses I hoped. Nada....there came a few drops. I asked my wife if she had been using my 'top' Chard for the kitchen..or maybe the cook had been at it herself (denied). What is was of course was..the weight and the darkness. Unless you can guess what you have drunk....you'll end up having to open another bottle of something....and obviously the wine had found a good home in the form of my stomach.This 'Hildegard' is Jim's Hommage to Charlemagne..and there's no denying the likeness...that's if you have been lucky enough to drink any Corton Charlemagne. The original is VERY expensive and takes years to develope......so you have two choices...you have to be patient..buy young and lay it down for 10 years...but who leaves whites in the cellar that long..or buy it at a top price if you are a millionaire from the U.S or Japan.
I first tried 'Hildegard' over a year ago..and was very impressed..Pinot Gris meets Chardonnay. Very similiar to it's big SIS from France.....I decided to leave 2 bottles in the cellar (that's just over a year..just think..10 years!! for a Corton). Miss Hildegard is starting to smell like an old Corton...which doesn't sound appetizing when said like that. Give her some air..and the slight mustiness disappears...creamy texture...but becoming an acquired taste. Methinks the next bottle should be drunk now...or forgotten for 10 years to be the 'surprise' wine at some obscure tasting.Points 16.75
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