2023 Chardonnay Cuvee Indigene

The 2023 Chardonnay Cuvee Indigene is roughly equal parts sourced from Belle Cote, La Carriere, and Ma Belle Fille and pours a bright yellow hue. It’s bright on the nose with fresh flinty earth, lemon sherbet, beeswax, lifted spice, honeysuckle, and pear. The palate is persistent and full-bodied, though it has mouthwatering acidity that drives through the palate with fantastic balance and electric persistence, balanced density and ripeness, a salty feel, and long-lasting finish. It’s an exceptional vintage of this wine to drink over the coming 12 or so years. Sir Peter Michael founded his eponymous winery in 1982, inspired by the wine of Chateau Montelena, which led him to California. In 2020, Robert Fiore took the helm as winemaker, while former winemaker Luc Morlet remains as a consultant. Robert studied at the Colorado School of Mines, which led him to a career in environmental geophysics before finding his path into the world of wine. He went on to UC Davis to study Viticulture and Enology. Most recently, Robert was a member of the winemaking team at Continuum in Napa. Vineyard manager Javier Avina has championed the land since 1991. Each of the sites are steep hillsides in Knights Valley that modulate with varied exposition and soils. Sir Peter’s son Paul and his wife Emily oversee the management of the winery today.