2022 Peter Michael ‘Belle Cote’ Chardonnay, Sonoma County, USA (750ml)

WINEMAKER’S NOTES:

The depth and complexity of old-vine Chardonnay are showcased in the enticingly expansive orange blossom, white peach, rose petal, and manuka honey nose of the 2022 ‘Belle Cte’ Chardonnay. The rich texture on entry builds to a broad, structured mid-palate with a creamy, viscous mouthfeel with intense orange marmalade flavors and accents of clove and nougat leading to a round, seamless finish. The 2022 ‘Belle Cte’ is a balanced, yet powerful wine that promises to reward several years of cellaring.

TASTING NOTES:

The 2022 Chardonnay Belle Cte matches ripe fruit with youthful new oak spice, evoking peach pie, vanilla panna cotta and honeysuckle. The full-bodied palate is satiny and mouth coating with perfumed, peachy flavors. Its balanced by mouthwatering acidity that lures you in for another sip, and it has a very long finish. It will benefit from 3-5 years in the cellar.

-Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, 96 pts.

This powerful version opens with a toasty mix of spices, buttery toasted brioche and carmelized apple pastry. Offers plenty of plump ripe peach, apricot and melon flavors, with a note of marmalade at the core. Candied ginger, graham cracker, salted, toasted almond and marzipan linger on the finish. Drink now through 2033

-Wine Spectator, 94 pts.