Winemaker Notes
The 2007 Ma Belle-Fille is spectacularly intense, boasting aromas of ripe peach, tangerine blossom, dried apricot, golden apple and nectarine, accented with wet stone-like minerality, brioche andlily flower notes. Generous in the mouth, rich and concentrated, the wine displays flavors of William pear, honey, dried almond, meringue, dry chamomile, orange rind and notes of baked Reinette apple. In the mouth, the wine is tactile, gourmand and extremely pure. Layered and seductive, the finish is very long.
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2007 Chardonnay Ma Belle Fille ratchets up the level of performance. The good news is that there are just under 2,800 cases of this wine in the 2007 vintage. Super-ripe peach, nectarine, orange blossom, white currant, and stony mineral notes jump from the glass of this wine. It has full-bodied texture, superb purity, and tremendous depth and richness. All of these Chardonnays are aged in a combination of 33-80% new oak depending on the cuvee, and of course, are largely fermented with indigenous yeasts, kept on their lees, and bottled without any fining or filtration.
-
Wine Spectator
Deliciously complex, with a rich, elegant, layered presentation of citrus-infused green apple, spice and toasty oak. Subtle honeydew melon flavors emerge on the finish. A shade lighter on its feet than Mon Plaisir.
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 small and picturesque valley separating Napa Valley on its south border and Alexander Valley to its north, Knights Valley excels in similar varieties as the two aforementioned appellations, namely red Bordeaux varieties and blends, as well as Sauvignon blanc. Originally established by Beringer Vineyards, today several outstanding producers claim acreage here. The circadian cooling effects of the nearby Pacific Ocean create a nighttime respite for vineyards during the hot growing season.