Again orange blossoms hazelnuts brioche smoke and honeysuckle along with some peach notes are present in the full-bodied beautifully well-delineated pure zesty 2005 Chardonnay Ma Belle-Fille. There are only 1600 cases of this wine which has superb uplift and vibrancy.This 121-acre estate with 114 producing acres of vineyard all located in Knight's Valley continues to be at the top of their game and I can't recommend the wines highly enough.I was surprised when I showed up at Peter Michael to find both Nicolas Morlet who replaced his brother Luc and Luc Morlet himself were at my tasting. It seems that Luc is still doing consulting work with his brother firmly entrenched at the winery. This is still one of the best-run wineries in the world and one might quibble over the fact that there are so many different cuvees of Chardonnay but they are all subtly different in style/personality. The Morlets proclaimed to me that essentially there is very little difference in the character of the Chardonnays in 2005 and 2006 except they thought the acid levels were slightly higher in 2005 and the 2006s were riper. In any event these are sensational Chardonnays and readers couldn't go wrong no matter which one they buy.

Pure rich and focused showing a mix of ripe pear apple and mineral flavors with floral fruity aromas that give this a distinctive quality. Turns delicate flinty and refreshing on the finish. Drink now through 2011. 1600 cases made. –JL