Peter Michael Belle Cote Chardonnay 2021

Peter Michael Belle Côte Chardonnay 2021 is a full-bodied, single-vineyard white wine produced from Chardonnay grapes in Sonoma County, California. Peter Michael Winery was founded by British businessman Sir Peter Michael in the early 1980s with a singular vision. "to make wine in the terroir-driven tradition of Burgundy and Bordeaux, under the California sun and in California soil". Consistency and quality are the watchwords here – the wines are clearly inspired by the poise and precision of their Old World counterparts but can`t help expressing an edge of Californian richness. The Belle Côte vineyard produces the ripest of Peter Michael`s single-vineyard expressions. "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." Robert Parker, 2022