Peter Michael Chardonnay La Carriere Knights Valley 2012 1500ml

Sir Peter Michael founded his Knights Valley winery in the early 1980s on the volcanic slopes of Mount St. Helena, and La Carrière, named for an old quarry on the property, is one of its benchmark hillside Chardonnays. This magnum comes from 2012, a generous, even growing season across Sonoma County. Honeyed brioche, orange marmalade, tropical fruit blossoms and caramelized citrus lead into a broad, savory, full-bodied palate. Wine Spectator praised its "amazing richness and sharply defined fruit," noting apple, pear, peach and fig shaded by smoky, toasty oak. The large format helps preserve its freshness, and it should drink well over the next several years.