Very pale color with a nose of strong lemon peel. Lemon, hazelnut and a strong toasty vanilla flavor. This chardonnay is not for the timid! The finish lingers for quite some time as well. This is one of those bottles that I have to go back and check the alcohol content on. 14.8% in this case. If you are looking for finesse in a chard, go elsewhere. If you want a chardonnay assault in your mouth....maybe

If I remember right, this wine costs around $60.
It would have to be awfully good to merit a purchase at that price.

We had the 1999 at last Months BAWE tasting, and it was #2 wine of the night - I was struck by the intensely spicy nose and a finish that wouldn't quit.

Eric,
Agreed!
I had my first 99 Pahlmeyer chard about 3 weeks ago, and it reminded
me more of a Kistler than any non-Kistler Cal chard. Long finish. Some mineral nuances. Great fruit, and not a lot of oak.

I agree. This is 2nd in command after Kistler. But, I no longer buy it due to the Price. I think it goes for more than $60.00 now.

I have a bottle of this (thanks, Maineiac) and would like some pairing recommendations for this particular wine from those of you familiar with its characteristics. Tia

Butter poached lobster

Thanks for the idea. I'll probably pair it with some kind of seafood with butter or a creamy sauce.

There's a great "shorts and t-shirt" BYO lobster pound near Mystic that we frequent often. I can't count the times that I've grabbed a Pahlmeyer while heading out the door, ready to tackle a 3 pound leviathan. So I'll second JW1 on the lobster idea. Also, I find that swordfish pairs very well with Pahlmeyer. Sounds like this might be a good base for your butter or creamy sauce idea.

I had this the other night. Very tight flavors, not a hedonistic experience. I enjoyed it, but thought it was not worth the $60.

On the other hand, i love Kistler.

Randy, did it improve with time in the glass?

Yes, it did. After about 30 minutes it was more open, but I would not rate it above 90 pts.

Board_O, I brought this when the Stealth visited our area.

lcc, once you pass 50, the memory starts to go. I had no idea that I'd ever tasted a Pahlmeyer Chardonnay.

Interesting conversation if this wine is worth $60.00 or not. On a so-so vintage, I would rate this a 93 & a good job/effort.

I think part of the problem with the previous tasting notes is that this wine likely needed more time in the bottle.

We had this last night in a restaurant in NYC with a linguine/pancetta/asparagus/mascarpone dish. The pairing worked well. The light golden color was that of a very young wine. The nose was intense with spice and pears. This was a very concentrated wine with a wonderful depth. The flavors of pears and tropical fruit were delicious. I like almost all Chardonnays at three or four years of age, but this one may not have peaked yet, or may just be peaking now. I loved it. Me 94. My wife 91.

Thanks, Maineac.

I have had a few of these lately and concur that time has been good to the 2000 Pahlmeyer.

According to the Premier Cru website, they have this in stock for $40. At that price it sounds like a good deal.

IW

$40 is a great price. In my opinion, very few, if any, 2000s warrant further aging, but this one might actually improve a little.

Here is RP TN:

91 points Parker: "There are 2,500 cases of the 2000 Chardonnay. The acidity level presents itself as high, although Erin told me that analytically they are not out of line with lower acid vintages. Notes of honeyed citrus, lemon blossoms, candied oranges, and hazelnuts jump from the glass of this full-bodied, tasty, ripe, concentrated effort. It displays more definition and structure than previous examples. Whether that will translate into a longer aging curve is impossible to know, but my experience with most Pahlmeyer Chardonnays has shown that as great as they drink young, they can last for 5-6 years without any deterioration."

IW