2011 Ma Douce Chardonnay
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The 2011 Chardonnay Ma Douce is an unfiltered white made from a vineyard on the second ridge line on the Sonoma Coast planted with an Old Wente clone in Goldridge soils. Its stunning perfume of buttered citrus, popcorn, white currants and honeysuckle fill the olfactory senses. It is followed by a full-bodied wine with terrific acidity, power and richness. This vineyard is planted at a 1,300 foot elevation, way above the fog line in that area. Like most 2011s, it will probably last over five years, but I recommend drinking it on the early side as I am not sure this is a vintage to cellar. This is one of the up-and-coming superstar producers in Northern California. Owned by Luc Morlet, who comes from a French family that has long been making wines in Champagne, and who cut his Napa Valley teeth first for Newton and later Peter Michael. His American wife, Jodie, assists Luc Morlet, who still does consulting work at Peter Michael, although it is brother Nick who runs the show at Peter Michael from a winemaking perspective. The debut vintage for the Morlet Family Vineyards was 2006, and they have hardly missed a beat since then in turning out sumptuous Chardonnays, Pinot Noirs, Bordeaux-based blends, smaller proportions of a killer Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc blend, and a Cote Rotie-like Syrah. All of the following wines represent striking examples or Morlet-s talents. As for the 2012 Chardonnays, all will be bottled over the next four or five months. It is another great vintage for Morlet. All the wines come from the same sources, are 100% Chardonnay, see full malolactic fermentation, and are bottled unfined and unfiltered. Fermentations are all done by indigenous yeasts and the wines are aged sur lie with lots of lees stirring. The 2012s are slightly more intense. The Pinot Noirs come from a vineyard on the second ridge of the Sonoma Coast appellation, all planted between 1,000 to 1,250 feet with a field selection brought in from one of the great grand cru vineyards in Vosne-Romanee. The 2011 production ranged from 150 cases of the Joli Coeur to nearly 200 cases each of the Coteaux Nobles and En Famille. Readers should not forget about the Morlet Family Vineyards- remarkable Syrah, which is a dead-ringer for a top-notch Cote Rotie given its floral character. I was sure some Viognier was included in the blend, but that-s not the case. The wines from this small boutique winery are not to be missed. Tel. (707) 967-8690
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Robert Parker
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
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Orange peel, mint, apricot jam, jasmine and honey are some of the notes that emerge from the 2011 Chardonnay Ma Douce. A rich, sweet Chardonnay, the 2011 stands out for its viscosity and intensity. Although there was no botrytis here, the 2011 has an unctuous, oily texture that works beautifully. The layered finish is inviting and very nicely done.
(from vines on the second ridge in from the ocean, at an altitude of 1,300 feet): Hazy yellow-gold (these wines are neither fined nor filtered). Expressive aromas of pineapple, citrus oil, toffee, vanilla and buttery lemon cream, complicated by a whiff of iodine and some exotic fruits. Big, rich and powerful, conveying a strong impression of extract. This mouthfilling wine benefits from its firm mineral backbone. Luc Morlet normally stirs the lees of his chardonnays once a week until the end of the malolactic fermentations.