In the last two weeks, we've opened two of our four bottles. The oak was too prominent and quite bitterly and sharply unpleasant, especially with the first pour. The oak is less prominent on the nose, and allows some apple notes to come through. But on the palate, the oak--at this stage--dominates and obscures the other flavors, which are mainly apple with a hint of citrus and perhaps a little peach or mango in the background. The oak comes across like the bitter woody chemically aftertaste you'd get from chewing the yellow paint off a No. 2 pencil. However, things improved noticeably after the wine warmed up in the glass for thirty minutes or so: the oak subsided a bit and integrated with the apple/citrus to create a mildly bitter pineapple flavor on the palate. I'm going to wait a year or so to open my remaining two botttles to see if the oak integrates better. If you are opening now (end of 2012), this is one of those whites that would benefit from decanting and airing for an hour or so. Also, don't serve this wine too cold or all you will taste is wood. Just below room temperature is probably about right for this chard.
