Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.5

So killer. Needed something bombastic yet focused tonight. This did the trick. Gorgeous nose of butter, minerals, sweet wood, and wafting wet earth. Classic. Palate is rich with great amplitude and killer acids and just outrageous length. The length pushes this to 9.5. The terrific purity here allied with the length is pretty thrilling. It just grips your back palate and does not leave. — 7 months ago

Barberry Garden

9.5

Tasted blind. Since the list of white wines was known to me, the guess is obvious here. Unique and amazing style. Oxidative notes, bread and butter, baked apples, honey, nuts and mushrooms. It even has notes of flowers and grapefruit. Complex and well balanced with right volume and long aftertaste. IMO it lacks evolution, but amazing aftertaste with flavours of mushrooms, apples and honey. Happy to taste it again in almost a year. — 3 years ago

Daniel P. Drake

8.9

Tonights wine I have opened is the 2012 Au Bon Climat Santa Barbara County Chardonnay.

On the nose I am finding notes of lemon, giava, apricots, pear, vanilla, and good minerality.

On the palate there is lemon, papaya, apricot, baked apple, coconut, butter and a good dose of minerals.

This wine is medium bodied with good structure that is complex and has a rich viscous mouthfeel, high acidity with even being 9 years of age that leads right into a long crisp tropical fruit mineral finish. Have a great week and please be safe and healthy. Nostrovia! 🥂🥂🥂🥂 — 4 years ago

Eric W Brown

9.1

Butter, dried apricots — 5 years ago

Mark Mannebach

9.0

Good smooth Chardonnay with hints Apple honey and butter — 5 years ago

Jordan Wardlaw

9.3

This 2017 is a very lovely bottle of Chardonnay. Aromatically complex in the early going- showing lots of citrus blossom, honeysuckle and orchard fruit aromas. Ripe peach, hints of tropical fruit, sweet butter and toasted hazelnut flavors all very present. The freshness, lift and subtle minerality make this wine feel very kinetic and alive. Burgundy of this quality is consistently twice the price, and I predict a very nice aging trajectory here as well. Superb quality, great balance. — 6 years ago

Jacynda Lavanture

9.1

Oak and butter. Paired it with a selection of oysters. — 7 years ago

with Holli

Drew Landry

9.1

Light, smooth — 7 months ago

with Rosana

Jacqui

9.3

One of my favorite chardonnays. Soft and fresh — 10 months ago

Joe Gillies

9.3

Excellent! A steal at $29. Perfect example of a Cali chardonnay. Pear apple vanilla tropical and touches of oak and butter. Definitely recommend — 4 years ago

Tom Garland

9.5

A milestone birthday requires some fun wines! 1st bottle to polish off is a 2008 Marcassin chard with Hog Island oysters, butter poached lobster, and shrimp.

Double decant for fine cloudy sediment. An irresistible medium gold color.. On the nose: nectarines, pineapple, vanilla toast, lemon, and crushed rocks. Taste: so gooood after 12 years. A slightly creamy wine with carmalized pear, wet stones, lemon peel, and a mineral peach long finish with good acidity. — 5 years ago

with Brenda

Shay A

9.2

Weekly Wednesday Wine Committee. Incredible hosting by Joe. 1 sparkler, 3 whites, 4 reds, 1 dessert wine, all tasted blind.

Bonus wines. My first time having this from Shafer, and it’s very down the middle. Epitomizes Cali chard. It’s not overly oaked, but certainly kissed by some. A crowd pleaser. Little bit of marzipan, lemon bar pastries and honey butter. — 6 years ago

Lyndsey Wegner

9.0

A malolactic bite at the beginning, slight acid and finishing with apricot and butter. Loved this wine, full-bodied and complex. I'd definitely buy it again! — 7 years ago

with Giana

Michael Winterbottom

9.4

New world Chablis emulation but with a little more ripe fruit character and butter notes. Butter mochi, ripe green apple, cooked apples. Really tart finish with duality if fruit character. 0 new oak usage in this wine, fermented in used oak barrels and battonage for a year. Not your typical Napa chardonnay by any means but elegant and pretty. Perfumed and pretty. — 7 years ago

Paul J

9.3

Lovely gold color. Nose has lemongrass, honey, straw, and butter. Wine is slightly past prime. Palate contains butter, stone fruit, and camomile. Medium plus depth and long finish. Not as expressive as previous bottles. — 8 months ago

with Brooke

Aimalohi Gray

9.9

Creamy, cheesy, butter aged oakey, with tones of friendship. Would go well with a camembert, would accept a brie.. — 3 years ago

with Martin

Severn Goodwin

9.5

So...I had a birthday a couple weeks back, due to scheduling my regular bottle finishing team wasn't available until now, so we're finally doing it up in my grand, unique style.

Notes possibly tomorrow, scores honestly tonight.

Decanted 8H.

24-Hour Update:
Nose has moist chalk, dry limestone-based soil, yellow peach, ripe pineapple, crushed flint, struck match, orange zest, warm Anjou pear, crushed oyster shell, cold butter and honeysuckle.
Palate has warmed (ripe) pineapple, under-ripe yellow peach, hazelnut butter, vanilla, orange zest and white peach.
A great bottle, which is quite youthful and should be revisited around 2025-30. — 4 years ago

Pablo Cetlinski

9.4

Beautiful balanced tropical notes, touch of butter and acidity — 5 years ago

Brendan OConnell

9.2

Great Chardonnay - not too much butter or oak. — 6 years ago

Mark Flesher

9.4

Maybe there is a slight amount of bottle variation going on here. This wine has changed slightly since the last time it was enjoyed a few months ago. A little more butter - a little less stone ground fruit. At least initially. This wine isn't messing around. Lots of character. Mango and melon are the dominating notes here. I would say that this one still has quite a number of years left, but I think that the prime years are probably now through 2020. — 7 years ago

with Keith, Dan and 2 others