Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Bursting forth with extravagant tropical and floral notes, the 2015 Chardonnay Ma Belle Fille has nuances of honey-nut pastry (baklava), ginger, cedar and spice cake. Medium-bodied, the pineapple and passionfruit flavor layers are lifted by a seamless backbone and supported with a decadent creaminess, finishing long and spicy.
Rating: 98+ -
James Suckling
This is really lively and energetic with aromas and flavors of sliced lemons and green apples. Some lime, too. Full-bodied, layered and minerally. Undertones of hot stones and lemongrass. Love the driven finish of freshness.
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Wine Spectator
Light oak, pear, apple, melon and spice notes gain weight while remaining nimble and refined. This tilts more toward delicacy and nuance than sheer power. 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.