2012 Peter Michael Chardonnay “Mon Plaisir”
The Wine
Last night this age worthy 2012 Peter Michael Chardonnay Mon Plaisir came up on my “To Drink in 2022 List”. So off to Verona18 at the Club at Copper Valley we headed for dinner. While being Saturday, our Friday Night Wine and Dine Group moved our evening from Friday to Saturday.
The wine name “Mon Plaisir” which means “my pleasure”, is truly that with creaminess and aromas. It is one of the fullest body Chardonnay you can experience. On the eyes deep golden in color and viscosity. On the nose soft and sweet lemon, pear and honeysuckle. On the palate, vanilla, hazelnut and brioche are the three predominant features. On the finish perhaps a little green apple, but oh my, the long and the enticing finish leaves you almost breathless. It is produced with 100% naturally fermented native yeasts in 100% French oak. It is aged sur lies 11 months with the “dead lies” and bits of grape seeds and solids stirred weekly. Bottled unfined and unfiltered and coming in at 15.4% alcohol level. Both Parker & Suckling rated it 97 points and I believe them to be conservative with their ratings! It is as close as one can get to being a 100 points Chardonnay in my opinion. The vineyard is located in Knight’s Valley in Sonoma County.
Peter Michael wines be it their 4 Cabernet Sauvignon red blends, 4 Pinot Noirs, 2 white blends or their 4 100% Chardonnay wines are highly sought after and are allocated. It took me 4 years waiting just to get on their allocation list! Their current vintage is 2019 I believe it is around $150/bottle. The 2012 sells in wide range of $143 to $177/bottle. It is worth every penny for this special treat!
The Food and Wine Pairing
(Photo ©Michael Kelly)
Getting the word ahead of time of tonights special was the impetus for choosing the wine. The special fish entrée was announced as seared Ahi tuna with a wasabi Beurre blanc sauce, black & white sesame seeds, saffron risotto and vegetables of the day. The Beurre blanc sauce was good but needed more “wasabi punch” but we were able with the help of the kitchen staff make it more enjoyable. The tuna was spectacularly seared to perfection with a wonderfully fresh Ahi.
Other Wines Enjoyed By The Group
Here are some of the other wines enjoyed by the group with various dishes of pastas, scallops and pasta, meat dishes, salads, etc. All the wines were good but one other noteworthy wine of the evening was the Austin Hope Merlot. Various varieties and years of wines enjoyed came from Santa Barbera, Paso Robles, Lodi and Calaveras County.
Sláinte
Michael
https://californiawinesandwineries.com
https://petermichaelwinery.com/
https://www.coppervalleygolf.com/homepage/current-operations
California Wines & Wineries 