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The December 2021 Auction: Part 2

Auction # 688 | View Auction Schedule and Details
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Auction Ends: 12/9/2021 6:00:00 PM PDT

Lot #753. Morlet Family Vineyards Chardonnay Ma Princesse 2014

Description: Consists of 1 Bottle, 0.75L
Score: 94 RP.
“The 2014 Chardonnay Ma Princesse has a medium-golden color, is earthy, structured and backward. It was fabulous last year from cask, but has gone into a somewhat dormant state while still showing loads of honeysuckle, nectarine, brioche and citrus oil. It just needs a year or two of bottle age, which has been my experience with Morlet Chardonnays, to open up and strut its stuff. There is tremendous upside to this Chardonnay. Luc Morlet, whose brother Nicolas Morlet is the principal winemaker at Peter Michael Winery, preceded his brother, but has his own winery just north of St. Helena and the Culinary Institute of America. It sits adjacent to Route 29 in a beautiful old building from the late 1800s. Morlet, who hails from the Champagne region of France, is on a hot streak in terms of the quality of the exquisite wines he=s producing. This is an extraordinary lineup of Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Pinot Noir and possibly the finest 100% Cabernet Franc ever made in California, his Force de la Nature. Morlet is hoping to use about 70% or more estate-grown fruit, as he has been busy acquiring property and now has his estate up to 24 acres. Luc Morlet produces three cuvées of Chardonnay, one from the Sonoma Coast, one from Goldridge soils, and the third a selection of his finest barrels, the Coup de Coeur. All of them are based around the old Wente clone of Chardonnay, as that seems to be the favorite of top-quality Chardonnay winemakers throughout California. The 2013 Chardonnays are finally in bottle, and they are showing even better than I predicted last year. They are incredibly great Chardonnays with long lives ahead of them. Luc Morlet (whose brother Nicolas Morlet is winemaker at Peter Michael) continues to fine-tune his beautiful historic stone winery on Rt. 29, just to the north of the Culinary Institute of America. His newest lineup of wines continues his production of three cuvées of Chardonnay, three cuvées of Pinot Noir, a Syrah, a Sauvignon/Semillon Blanc, five Bordeaux-inspired Cabernet Sauvignons and a Cabernet Franc. All of the Chardonnays are based around the Old Wente clone that is so popular with the top Chardonnay winemakers. Rumor has it that it probably came from the great Grand Cru vineyard known as Corton-Charlemagne in Burgundy in the 1930s, but no one has the evidence to prove it.” Robert M. Parker, Jr., Wine Advocate, Oct 2016
Lot Location: Orange County
Estimate: $100

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