2009 Ma Princesse Chardonnay
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The 2009 Chardonnay Ma Princesse is a big, exuberant wine packed with succulent yellow peaches, apricots, flowers and mint. This is a decidedly flamboyant style. Tropical notes come through more clearly on the finish. There is an element of heaviness that detracts from the wine's overall balance.
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Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2009 Chardonnay Ma Princesse is a big, exuberant wine packed with succulent yellow peaches, apricots, flowers and mint. This is a decidedly flamboyant style. Tropical notes come through more clearly on the finish. There is an element of heaviness that detracts from the wine’s overall balance. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2017. I was quite frankly amazed by the range of wines I tasted with Luc Morlet. The wines span everything from single-variety Chardonnays, Pinots and Syrahs to Bordeaux-inspired blends. La Proportion Doree is a Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc blend with a dash of Muscadelle. Morlet’s Billet Doux is a late-harvest version of that wine, but with fruit just from Alexander Valley. Passionnement is Cabernet Sauvignon from vineyards in Oakville, while Coeur de Vallee is Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, also from Oakville. Mon Chevalier is a Bordeaux-style blend made from vineyards in Knights Valley. Morlet Estate, 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from St. Helena, is the newest wine in the lineup. Tel. (707) 967-8690; www.morletwines.com
(15.4% alcohol; from a 1987 planting not far from Ritchie Vineyard): Good full yellow. Very ripe nose dominated by tropical fruits. Tactile-verging-on-glyceral in the mouth, with an impression of chewy extract to the exotic orange blossom flavor. Open-knit today owing to its sheer sweetness, but this wine too is technically very dry. From a warmer site than the Ma Douce, and it shows it.