Our Provenance Guarantee
Purchase with confidence. All of our wines are selectively sourced and thoroughly inspected for authenticity and signs of poor storage. Accepted bottles are preserved in our climate-controlled cellar until they reach your doorstep. We have no storefront and no walk-in traffic, so nothing is moved or handled between inspection and shipping.
The bottle you see photographed is the bottle you receive (or fundamentally identical when multiple bottles are listed), and our commitment to you is that it arrives as represented. If it doesn’t, we want to hear from you.
Ratings & Tasting Notes:
98+ points — Wine Advocate, February 2021
Wonderfully fragrant notes of lemongrass, lime leaves and orange blossom slowly emerge from the glass, giving way to a core of yellow apple and fresh pear with hints of struck flint and wet pebbles. The medium- to full-bodied palate fills the mouth with perfumed citrus and apple flavours over a refreshing line, finishing long and chalky. Still quite closed — the reviewer advises putting it aside for a good two to three years, then watching it blossom over the following twelve to fifteen years and beyond. Winemaking consultant Luc Morlet notes the label is intended to capture the richer side of Chardonnay each vintage, emphasised by the majority use of Old Wente clone.
95+ points — Vinous (Antonio Galloni), April 2020
A barrel selection from Belle-Côte, the oldest parcel on the property. Shy and elusive, the 2018 will need a few years to come together. Even with all of its power, it shows great energy, with hints of lemon peel, almond, flower and crushed rocks infusing the finish with notable character.
94 points — Wine Spectator, May 2023
Complex, striking terrific balance between the rich notes of lemon meringue and peach cobbler and the fresh, juicy acidity, with hints of litsea oil and whiffs of smoke. Toasted sesame and dried spice accents linger on the long finish.
Cult Wines International Notes:
Sir Peter Michael spent six years searching before buying 630 acres on the western face of Mount St. Helena in 1982. What he had found was Knights Valley, a small Sonoma appellation of rocky, volcanic rhyolite soils at elevation, and he set out to make Burgundian-minded Chardonnay where it had barely been tried. The estate has since become one of California’s most decorated, its Chardonnays regularly measured against grand cru white Burgundy.
Cuvée Indigène is the winemaker’s barrel selection and the flagship of the house’s Chardonnays. The name means indigenous blend, a reference to native-yeast fermentation, which in the early days was used on only a fraction of production and is now employed for every wine at the estate. Each block is fermented separately, and after a year in barrel the team tastes through every lot and selects only the finest. Those chosen barrels then age longer than the vineyard-designated Chardonnays, adding breadth and texture through the mid-palate. The 2018 is a top barrel selection from Belle-Côte, the oldest parcel on the property, with fruit from Ma Belle-Fille and Mon Plaisir, drawn largely from Old Wente clone. Barrel-fermented entirely in French oak, aged sur lie with weekly bâtonnage, and bottled unfined and unfiltered. Expect lemongrass, lime leaf and orange blossom over yellow apple and pear, with struck flint, wet pebbles, toasted hazelnut and vanilla. Rich and creamy, with ample gras balanced by a refreshing line and a long, chalky finish.
Bottle Size:
750 mL
Storage History:
Always stored on its side in a climate-controlled cellar.
Condition:
Please note: The bottle shown is the exact bottle being sold.
Outstanding condition.
