98 Wine Advocate

The 2015 Chardonnay Belle Cote has a seriously savory/sweet nose of brioche, beeswax, salty ham and toasted nuts with a core of warm apricots, candied ginger and chalk dust. Medium-bodied, with exquisite harmony and depth, it delivers intense stone fruit and spice flavor layers with a very long, toasty finish. (LPB) (10/2017)

97 James Suckling

Aromas of mustard flowers, orange flowers, pineapple and lime follow through to a full body. A tight and precise palate with a compressed texture of light tannins. Subtle and fruity finish. Savory and salty at the end. (2/2018)

94 Wine Spectator

Combines rich, lively fig, melon and apricot with smoky, toasty oak shadings, giving this a sense of harmony, finesse, depth and complexity without being weighty. (JL) (11/2017)

93 Vinous

The 2015 Chardonnay Belle-Côte is one of the more reticent of these 2015 Chardonnays. That is probably a very good thing for its long-term prospects, but I would not be tempted to open the 2015 anytime soon. As always, Belle-Côte is a Chardonnay built on minerality and savoriness rather than overt fruit. Bright saline notes punctuate the finish. (AG) (7/2018)

Vintage Notes

The winter was dry, with only 75% of normal rainfall, continuing four years of drought. Unseasonably warm temperatures accelerated bud break by three to four weeks. While May brought welcomed rain, the cool moist conditions extended the blooming period and led to an uneven fruit set. The crop was small and hand thinning, to ensure even maturation, reduced the yields further. Steady warm temperatures dominated the remainder of the growing season providing ideal ripening conditions. No doubt affected by the drought, juice yields were the lowest ever for our estate Chardonnay. Flavors and acidity remained exceptionally bright, balanced and concentrated, resulting in a very small but intense and elegant 2015 vintage.

Winegrowing Notes

As the oldest of the four Peter Michael estate Chardonnay vineyards, Belle Côte exemplifies how consistently these mountain vineyard sites produce exceptionally high quality Chardonnay. Given the naturally cool climate of the vineyard’s high elevation, and the fact that the site is sheltered from the hot afternoon sun by its southeastern exposure and a stand of trees on its western border, the vines are exceptionally slow to ripen. For this site, the growing season typically extends into October, two to three weeks longer than most Chardonnay vineyards in Napa and Sonoma counties.

Winemaker Tasting Notes

Very intense and powerful, the nose reveals hedonistic aromas of lychee nut, rose petal and orange blossom, with a background of mineral, candied orange, yellow peach, greengage, nougat, whole nut and toasted almond. The rich seamless palate is very creamy and weighty in the mouth. Notes of pain grillé, marmalade, brioche and hazelnut coupled with natural acidity and minerality complete the mouth feel. The 2015 Belle Côte is enjoyable now and will continue to develop for at least two decades.