Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2017 Chardonnay Ma Belle Fille comes bounding out of the glass with all the joy and energy of a new puppy, featuring pronounced notes of apricot tart, honey toast, ginger snaps and lemon curd over a core of warm pears, apple pie and allspice, plus a hint of beeswax. Full-bodied, the palate is beautifully creamy and opulent with loads of spicy accents supporting the stone fruit layers, finishing with great freshness and minerality. 1,802 cases were made. Rating: 98+
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Jeb Dunnuck
Clean, vibrant, full-bodied notes of white flowers, honeyed citrus, and crushed rocks emerge from the 2017 Chardonnay Ma Belle-Fille, but it's another tight, racy, backward wine that needs bottle age. With the incredible purity of fruit as well as the bright acidity that's the hallmark of this vintage, it has a great mid-palate, no hard edges, and a brilliant finish. There's a Chevalier-Montrachet-like purity and minerality here, and again, it needs 2-3 years in a cool cellar but is brilliant all the way.
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James Suckling
A creamy and fruity white with sliced apples and pears. Some vanilla. Medium to full body. The apple and cake flavors are very focused and centered. Delicious, reserved finish. Drink or hold.
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.