Peter Michael ‘Belle Côte’ Knights Valley Chardonnay 2023

Sir Peter’s Chardonnay Belle Côte is on a very short list of the best white wines in America in and every vintage. Naturally, it’s also one of the hardest to get. I managed to get exactly two six-packs of this home-run Chardonnay and sometimes I can’t even get that.

‘Belle Cote’ or “Beautiful Slope” in French comes from a steep parcel on the Peter Michael estate precariously positioned between 1,700 to 1,900 feet, Belle Côte has a southeastern exposure and a western border of native trees, which shelter the vines from the hot afternoon sun.

Because they are so high up in the mountains, there is a much longer growing season for these grapes, a distinct advantage over most all of their competition. There is plenty of the time for the Chardonnay to ripen and the acids and the fruit to align perfectly, a leisure that not everyone has. Usually, the team here picks about 3 or 4 weeks later than most of the folks in Napa and Sonoma.