April 16, 2024 - past due. not drinkable.
May 25, 2020 - Found another bottle. Had this with COVID takeout from Stissing. Salmon and bouiabaisse. Superb wine! Great balance of fruit, acidity,good length. Yummy will live longer but is really really good right now.
December 25, 2019 - Purchased at auction some years back, this bottle of '07 Belle Cote (in magnum) was bought with a sister in law in mind, who raved about Peter Michel Chardonnay. Unfortunately, we never had the opportunity to drink it with her and the bottle sat in my cellar since.
I regularly drink red wine with up to three decades of age but rarely drink older white wine, so I was anxious to try this -- particularly after having read the glorious reviews of other Cellar Tracker users, who gave scores approaching 100. My adult children gathered for Christmas eve presented the perfect opportunity (my wife and I barely finish a bottle these days let alone a magnum).
Decanting showed a wine of deep golden hue. Not oxidized but displaying just a touch of caramelized burnt sugar. A lively discussion ensued about the absence or presence of fruit. Most certainly apricots in my view. Quite unctuous, the Belle Cote came across as a dessert wine to others. That was not my view. A number noted the high alcohol content of this vintage (15.2%), which made us heady as the decanter drained. I wouldn't score this a near perfect wine but the Belle Cote certainly privileged us with an evening of wonderful conversation, eating and drinking. Thank you Peter Michel.
February 14, 2019 - Seriously and shockingly awesome. Sad it was my last bottle. Paired brilliantly w Valentine’s Day fondue
December 8, 2018 - SO'd for an hour, med. gold, creamy, yellow fruit, med. finish; outstanding & ready to drink. This was a much better bottle than my last: lighter in color & creamier
November 25, 2018 - SO'd for an hour, deep gold, yellow fruit, med. finish; delicious & ready to drink up
February 7, 2018 - SO'd in the fridge all day, deep gold, mirrored mclanew's note; delicious, drink up (only bottle)
November 25, 2017 - A bit disjointed and austere at opening but after about 45 min opened into a lovely lush aged chardonnay. Peach, pears, marzipan, nuts and minerals. Full bodied with ripe fruit. Long finish. I wouldn’t wait too much longer though.
July 4, 2017 - Light color, showing no visible signs of age. Notes of marshmallow, orchard fruit, honeysuckle and malted milk. Apple, fig, vanilla and honey wafer on the palate. Long finish.
April 22, 2017 - Home run wine out of mag.