2021 Chardonnay La Carriere
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Tasting notes
Subtle and fresh with sliced apple, lemon curd and oyster shell aromas that follow through to a full body with a tight and focus palate of lemon pie, crushed stone and bitter lemons at the end. Some lemongrass. Flavorful, tangy and intense in the finish. Seashells at the end. From 30-year-old vines, mostly Wente, Hyde and some Dijon clones. Give this three to four years of bottle age. Best after 2027.
Critic scores
Average Score
James Suckling
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
The 2021 Chardonnay La Carrière has pure, precise scents of white peach, meringue, matchstick and honeyed undertones. Silky, mouth-coating and seamless, it has incredibly pure, concentrated apricot and honey flavors and a long, flinty finish. Despite its generosity (you could drink it now if you wanted to), it should mature gracefully in bottle over the next decade. 2,128 cases produced.
The 2021 Chardonnay La Carrière is bursting with energy. Lemon confit, marzipan, white flowers, mint and tangerine peel are all beautifully sculpted in this super-expressive, nuanced Chardonnay. I very much like the minerality here. This is the steepest slope at Peter Michael, blocks with low vigor and therefore low yields.
A brilliant straw color, the 2021 Chardonnay La Carriere is fragrant with fresh lime zest, jasmine, and Williams pear. Medium to full-bodied, notes of candied green apple, green melon, and lemon curd are revealed in this fresh, lively white, which has great freshness, notable energy, and vibrant purity. Drink 2023-2032. 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.
About the producer
Founded in 1983 by Sir Peter Michael CBE and his wife Margaret, Peter Michael Winery produces some of California’s finest wines.