2005 Chardonnay Point Rouge

The 2005 Chardonnay Point Rouge has that light goldish-greenish hue to its color, much like the other wines, deep, full-bodied flavors, great ripeness, but more restraint, structure, and almost a sense of tannin given the wine’s firmness. This is a beauty, but given the higher acids in 2005, I would age this for another 6-12 months before I began drinking it. Having said that, I have already consumed two bottles of my allocation at charity events, and they were huge hits with the participants. This wine should age for at least 10+ years. 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. Previously recommended: 2005 Sauvignon Blanc l’Apres Midi (93), 2004 Chardonnay Point Rouge (95+), 2004 Chardonnay Mon Plaisir (94), 2004 Chardonnay Ma Belle-Fille (94), 2004 Chardonnay Cuvee Indigene (97), 2004 Chardonnay La Carriere (95), 2004 Chardonnay Belle Cote (95). Tel. (707) 942-3200; Fax (707) 942-0209

Hazy gold. Deep, resiny and pungent on the nose, with intense pear and Meyer lemon aromas given complexity by iodine and licorice, and picking up an exotic cherry pit quality with air. Focused and impressively pure, with vibrant citrus peel and mineral tones. Builds and deepens with air, showing a jaw-dropping depth charge of citrus, peach and melon flavors on the energetic finish. "This is not meant to be the most concentrated wine, but the most complex," said Nic Morlet, adding that the average yield for this selection in '05 was just one ton per acre.

The 2005 Chardonnay Point Rouge has that light goldish-greenish hue to its color, much like the other wines, deep, full-bodied flavors, great ripeness, but more restraint, structure, and almost a sense of tannin given the wine’s firmness. This is a beauty, but given the higher acids in 2005, I would age this for another 6-12 months before I began drinking it. Having said that, I have already consumed two bottles of my allocation at charity events, and they were huge hits with the participants. This wine should age for at least 10+ years. ||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.||Previously recommended: 2005 Sauvignon Blanc l’Apres Midi (93), 2004 Chardonnay Point Rouge (95+), 2004 Chardonnay Mon Plaisir (94), 2004 Chardonnay Ma Belle-Fille (94), 2004 Chardonnay Cuvee Indigene (97), 2004 Chardonnay La Carriere (95), 2004 Chardonnay Belle Cote (95).||Tel. (707) 942-3200; Fax (707) 942-0209 Wine Advocate.December, 2007