98 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 passion fruit flavor layers are lifted by a seamless backbone and supported with a decadent creaminess, finishing long and spicy. (LPB) 98+ (10/2017)

97 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. (5/2018)

94 Vinous

The 2015 Chardonnay Ma Belle-Fille is succulent, rich and expressive, with exotic white truffle, honey, herbs and tropical notes that give the wine its super distinctive personality. Clean mineral notes add breezy freshness to this high-altitude mountain Chardonnay. (AG) (7/2018)

93 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. (JL) (11/2017)

2015 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.

Wingrowing Notes

At the highest elevation on the estate, the marine influence on Ma Belle-Fille is greater, resulting in cooler daily temperatures in the summer and autumn months. Situated far above the summer fog ceiling and exposed to the southeast, the vineyard receives the very first rays of sunshine each morning and remains sunny all day long. This full exposure, combined with cooler temperatures, causes the fruit to mature earlier than the rest of our estate.

Winemaker Tasting Note

The 2015 Ma Belle-Fille is spectacularly intense, boasting aromas of ripe peach, tangerine blossom, brioche-like pastry elements, golden apple and nectarine, accented with oyster shell minerality. Generous in the mouth, rich and concentrated, the wine displays flavors of Williams pear, honey, greengage, dried almond, chamomile, orange rind and notes of baked Reinette apple. In the mouth, the wine is tactile and gourmand with extreme purity. Layered and seductive, the finish is very long. The wine will age gracefully for more than a decade.

About Peter Michael Winery

In 1982, after a six year search, Sir Peter Michael and Lady Michael purchased 630 acres of volcanic ridges on the western face of Mount St. Helena in Knights Valley. Drawing inspiration from the great wineries of Burgundy and Bordeaux, the family hired like-minded viticulturists and winemakers to help them create terroir-driven wines that would stand the test of time. Peter Michael Winery Winery produces 15 different bottlings: 3 Cabernet blends, 4 Pinot Noirs, 2 blends of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon, and 6 Chardonnays. With the exception of our two barrel selection Chardonnays, all of these wines are vineyard specific.

Under the direction of vineyard manager Javier Avina, the estate vineyards are farmed by hand in a low-impact, sustainable manner, relying heavily on organic techniques that include some biodynamic practices. Cover crops control erosion, feed the soil and provide a habitat for beneficial insects; eliminating the need for chemical pesticides. Tilling, spraying and mowing are accomplished with tractors. All other operations are done entirely by hand. These include: pruning, suckering, shoot positioning, hedging, crop thinning and harvest. All harvesting is done into 20-pound fruit lugs to insure that the fruit arrives at the winery in pristine condition.