Peter Michael Belle Cote Chardonnay 2021

I tasted the 2021 Chardonnay Belle Côte as a finished tank sample the day before it was bottled. From vines planted in 1990, it was matured for 12 months in 40% new French oak. It offers lush aromas of baked apples and apricots, jasmine, biscuit, nutmeg and cream with spicy, floral nuances arising as it airs in the glass. The medium-bodied palate is satiny and expansive with streaks of flint and focused acidity to balance its generous fruit. Expressive and inviting, it's a pleasure to drink now, yet the way it transforms in the glass suggests it will also develop positively in the cellar over the next decade or more. 2,159 cases were made, and it will be released in February of 2023. 96-98

The 2021 Chardonnay Belle Côte is a wine of tremendous density and power. Orchard fruit, Drinking dried pear, graphite, anise and dried flowers infuse the 2021 with tremendous flavor complexity. Readers will find an intensely mineral, savory Chardonnay with the fruit pushed into the background. Belle Côte is the original Chardonnay planting at Peter Michael.

From the oldest Chardonnay vines on the property, planted in 1990, the 2021 Chardonnay Belle-Cote pours a medium yellow and has an expressive perfume of wildflowers, wet stone, and white peach. Full-bodied, this floral profile is just as pronounced and long on the palate, with a soft, silky texture and ripe notes of melon, honeysuckle, and honeyed lemon. Long and attractive, it can be enjoyed 2024-2034.

This has an impressive presence while still showing plenty of finesse to the apricot pastry, vanilla cream and orange blossom flavors, with details of nutmeg, crisp citrus and marzipan on the finish. Drink now. 2,159 cases made.