2023 Sauvignon Blanc L'Après-Midi

Winemaker Robert Fiore presented a stellar set of new releases. The 2023 Chardonnays are especially fine. Rain during the early part of the year, delayed budbreak, and a mild growing season with no heat spikes were themes that carried into harvest, which was about a month later than normal. The last Chardonnay for Belle Côte came in on November 2, a record for the estate. Interestingly, yields for Chardonnay were quite generous because of ideal weather during flowering and set, while Pinot Noir reached those critical junctures under far less favorable conditions, resulting in a loss of 40% of the crop. The single-vineyard Chardonnays spent a year in barrel and then about five months in tank, while the top selections (Cuvée Indigène and Point Rouge) were raised entirely in oak. The Pinots were vinified with fully destemmed fruit and spent about 16 months in French oak, 50% new.

The Bordeaux reds are all vintage 2022, one of the most difficult growing seasons in recent memory because of a year marked by cool weather during most of the season, then record-setting heat around Labor Day followed by much cooler temperatures and rain. The wines turned out well, although the Au Paradis, Peter Michael’s Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon, strikes me as a question mark at this point. It’s easy to look past the Sauvignon Blanc L'Après-Midi and Coeur à Coeur in this large range, but both are terrific this year.