2016 Chardonnay Cuvee Indigene

Another gorgeous effort, the 2016 Chardonnay Cuvée Indigène offers awesome stone fruits, spice, crushed rocks, and white flower aromas and flavors. Possessing full-bodied richness, a seamless, elegant, silky texture, no hard edges, vibrant acidity, and a huge finish, it's a tour de force in Chardonnay that I wish every reader could taste. It’s as good as anything out there today. Located north of Napa Valley, in the Knights Valley AVA of Sonoma, Peter Michael utilizes the incredible talent of Frenchman Nicolas Morlet (whose brother Luc runs Morlet Estate in Napa, and was previously the winemaker at Peter Michael). These classic, traditionally made wines certainly have an old world feel/style, yet never lose their California soul. They produce two brilliant Bordeaux Blanc look-alikes, a bevy of Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs, and three Bordeaux blends. It can be a complex lineup to wrap your head around, but the cuvees show singular characters and the quality is off the charts.

The 2016 Chardonnay Cuvée Indigène, a selection of old Wente clone from Belle-Côte, is dense, rich and pliant, with terrific persistence. Despite its obvious richness, the Cuvée Indigène is powerful, structured and very shut down, in the same way that is, not surprisingly, also found in the Belle-Côte. Readers should be in no rush to open bottles.