2016 Peter Michael Chardonnay Belle Cote

The 2016 Chardonnay Belle Cote charges forth from the glass with gregarious tropical fruits—lychees, melon and pineapple—with hints of allspice, Turkish delight, honeysuckle and gingerbread. Full-bodied, rich and exuberant in the mouth, it has wonderfully spicy mid-palate expression and a long, decadent finish. 1,860 cases produced.

From vines planted in 1990, the 2016 Chardonnay Belle- Côte is a field selection that includes six different clones (all imported from Burgundy). It has a very classic, Burgundian style in its caramelized citrus, toasted bread, marzipan, and spice-driven aromas and flavors. This beauty offers more and more clean minerality and oyster shell characteristics with time in the glass, is incredibly pure and finesse-oriented, and has beautiful depth and richness. It’s a stunner. 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 Belle-Côte is bright, precise and wonderfully nuanced. In 2016, Belle-Côte stands out for its intensely mineral, savory personality. Today, the Belle-Côte is not as immediate as most of the other Chardonnays in the range, but it impresses with its balance, persistence and class. Time in the glass brings out the wine’s density and power. As always, the Belle-Côte emphasizes structure over a more obvious expression of fruit.