Winemaker Notes
Straw yellow color. Aromas of lemon drop, Reinette apple skin and fresh herbs (chamomile). Full-bodied and concentrated, this wine displays a creamy and rich texture which coats the palate for a very long time. Built to age gracefully for over a decade, this wine will gain being cellared for 6 months to a year before starting to reveal itself.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Ma Princesse comes from the Ritchie vineyard in Russian River, planted to Old Wente clone selection, from vines that are 50+ years old. A barrel sample to be bottled in February 2021, the 2019 Chardonnay Ma Princesse needs a little swirling to unlock gorgeous scents of lemon meringue pie, lime cordial and honeydew melon with wafts of toasted almonds, brioche and nutmeg. The medium to full-bodied palate has a decadent oiliness to the texture with just enough freshness to lift the ripe, rich melon and toast flavors with a long finish.
Range: (96-98)+ -
Jeb Dunnuck
The 2019 Chardonnay Ma Princesse comes from the Russian River Valley (Ritchie Vineyard), and it's another terrific Chardonnay. Stunning stone fruits, white flowers, green almond, chalky mineral, and a beautiful sense of salty, mineral, marine-like character all define the bouquet, and it's medium to full-bodied, with a tight, backward mouthfeel and a great finish. It needs at least another year in the cellar, but it’s going to deliver the goods through 2033.
Rating: 97+
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
A standout region for its decidedly Californian take on Burgundian varieties, the Russian River Valley is named for the eponymous river that flows through it. While there are warm pockets of the AVA, it is mostly a cool-climate growing region thanks to breezes and fog from the nearby Pacific Ocean.
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir reign supreme in Russian River, with the best examples demonstrating a unique combination of richness and restraint. The cool weather makes Russian River an ideal AVA for sparkling wine production, utilizing the aforementioned varieties. Zinfandel also performs exceptionally well here. Within the Russian River Valley lie the smaller appellations of Chalk Hill and Green Valley. The former, farther from the ocean, is relatively warm, with a focus on red and white Bordeaux varieties. The latter is the coolest, foggiest parcel of the Russian River Valley and is responsible for outstanding Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.