Peter Michael “Ma Belle-Fille” Chardonnay 2019

98 Points, Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate

Sir Peter’s Chardonnay Ma Belle-Fille is on a very short list of the best white wines in America. Naturally, it’s also one of the hardest to get.

The single vineyard, Ma Belle-Fille is a steep parcel on the Peter Michael estate precariously positioned above the fog line approximately 1700 feet above sea level. The mountain slope exceeds 40% grade in some spots. The vines work hard here and yield very little wine but what is coaxed from these tiny grapes is some of most compelling Chardonnays in the world. This is always one of my favorite white wines. Here’s what The Wine Advocate had to say about the wine in their rave 98-point review:

“Ma Belle Fille is the highest of the Peter Michael vineyards, located at 1,200-1,800 feet. Planted to a field selection of Hudson, Old Wente, Montrachet and Calera clones, it is also the earliest ripening vineyard. A tank sample due to be bottled in just a few days, the 2019 Chardonnay Ma Belle Fille slips seductively out of the glass with tantalizing notes of warm apple slices, ripe nectarines and spice cake, giving way to a beautiful perfume of honeysuckle, beeswax and tangerine peel, plus a waft of cashews. Full-bodied, the palate delivers mouth-coating stone fruit and spiced apple flavors with a lively backbone and decadent oiliness to the texture, finishing on a long-lasting honey-nut note.”