Winemaker Notes
Ma Belle-Fille has a core of lean citrus flavors and vivid minerality, with layers of baked apple and nectarine rounding out its profile. The name translates to "My Daughter In-Law" in honor of Emily Michael, Paul Michael's wife and the mother of the youngest generation.
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2012 Chardonnay Ma Belle Fille reveals notes of citrus blossom, Mandarin oranges, tangerine oil, white peach, pineapple and a wet rock-like minerality. This full-bodied, opulent, exotic, stunningly classic Chardonnay should drink well for a decade or more. The good news is that there are 2,105 cases.
-
Wine Spectator
Captivating, sleek, elegant and graceful, this is rich without weight, offering a mix of ripe pear, fig, apricot and melon flavors, with subtle touches of nutmeg, hazelnut and toasted almond. For all its flavor and depth, this displays wonderful lift on the finish. Drink now through 2020.
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.