Wine Advocate: 97 Points
Sourced from the justly famed Ritchie Vineyard Morlet's 2021 Chardonnay Ma Princesse features a big wonderfully expressive nose bursting with scents of ripe melon pear and pineapple. It's full-bodied and opulent ripe and weighty but it marries that to amazing drive and energy on the long harmonious finish. Luc Morlet and I began our visit by meeting at his Coeur du Vallée vineyard in Oakville. The 24 acres which Morlet purchased in 2015 stretch from Highway 29 down to the Napa River traversed at an angle by To Kalon Creek. While the land had a history of grape cultivation?Morlet said he has records of Zinfandel and Riesling being grown there in the 1880s?in 2015 the land was unplanted so Morlet was able to develop it as he saw fit. There's a 2% grade from the road down to the river gravelly bale loam soils across Blocks A?D with silty loams closer to the river in Blocks E and F. No herbicides are used with only mechanical cultivation used for weed control; a winter cover crop of clover adds nitrogen; and Morlet's team also applies organic compost annually. Vine spacing is reasonably tight by Napa standards at 1 x 1.8 meters. Because of his experience working with Beckstoffer To Kalon fruit Morlet opted to plant Cabernet Sauvignon Clone 4 and Cabernet Franc Clone 1; and rootstocks are 101-114 away from the river and Riparia Gloire in the heavier soils. One acre has been left as "The Grove" at the former homesite with numerous trees and a raised deck. From there our visit proceeded to Morlet's winery and tasting room in northern Saint Helena for something of a marathon tasting of the 40-plus wines reviewed in this report including an exhilarating vertical of Morlet's Cabernet Sauvignon Coeur de Vallee in which the only blemish was a corked bottle of the 2015. As readers review those notes keep in mind that not only did the grape sourcing undergo a huge change?from Beckstoffer To Kalon in 2007?2016 to Morlet's own Oakville vineyard in 2018?present with 2017 including fruit from both sites?but Morlet didn't make the wine in his own facility until 2012. Prior to that the wine was made at Chateau Boswell (2007?2010) and Vineyard 7&8 (2008?2011). "We started the winery in 2006 but we couldn't afford Cabernet that vintage" said Morlet. In 2007 Morlet persuaded Andy Beckstoffer to sell him Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc from To Kalon. "Andy gave me a half row of Block F Row 32 because I said I wouldn't take the Cab without some Franc" said Morlet. As a result for many vintages the blend remained roughly three-fourths Cabernet Sauvignon and one-fourth Cabernet Franc. The highest proportion of Cabernet Franc came in 2011 which is 45% Cabernet Franc. More recent vintages include less Franc which now averages about 5% or 6% of the blend. Les Petits Morlet?a relative bargain for the quality?is what Morlet calls his second label. "It's a truly second wine?young blocks or things that don't fit into the regular bottlings" he said. In 2020 his vineyards weren't affected by the LNU complex fires said Morlet but they did lose about 25% of the Bordeaux reds to Glass Fire smoke. Morlet claims to eschew acid additions?"Freshness is the backbone for aging not just acidity" he said?and yeast nutrients citing that as a reason he doesn't like to have cover crop during the growing season. "They compete for nitrogen" he said. Don't overlook Morlet's Bordeaux-inspired whites based on Sauvignon Blanc (Les Petits Morlet) and Sémillon (La Proportion Dorée). These barrel-fermented wines one pure Sauvignon Blanc and the other generally two-thirds Sémillon and one-third Sauvignon Blanc with a splash of Muscadelle are terrific white wines that can compete with the best white Bordeaux. In particular the La Proportion Dorée is meant to improve over several years in the cellar; the 2019 is slated to be rereleased as a library wine this fall. Looking at the latest Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs from Sonoma all the 2022 Chardonnays are a bit hazy in appearance but Morlet says they will further settle and clarify in bottle. In any event it's purely cosmetic as the wines are up to their usual high standard. Yields were down by about 30% in the Chardonnay said Morlet and even more (about 50%) in the Pinot Noir. As for 2021 Morlet called it an impeccable growing season. For the Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs Morlet is working with five- to seven-year leases purchasing fruit by the acre. Once at the winery there's only native ferments and no fining or filtration. He does use sulfur what he said is "a small amount." Future plans include becoming fully estate by purchasing land in Sonoma for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and starting Champagne production in Aÿ where his family originates. The energetic Morlet isn't letting any grass grow underfoot that's for sure. Published: Oct 17 2024
Vinous: 96 Points
The 2021 Chardonnay Ma Princesse is racy and super-expressive right out of the gate. Lemon confit marzipan passionfruit and sweet spice are beautifully layered. There's lovely mid-palate oiliness and texture here along with plenty of richness but no excess weight. This is the most overt of Luc and Jodie Morlet's Chardonnays. - By Antonio Galloni on December 2023 I tasted a wide range of wines with Luc Morlet this year. The 2021 Pinots all from vineyards in the Fort Ross-Seaview AVA are fine examples of this superb vintage. As always the Pinots are done with fully destemmed fruit and see about 14 months in barrel. I was even more impressed with the 2020 Napa Valley wines all of which are superb within the context of the year. Naturally the 2021s are on another level. These days Luc and Jodie Morlet?s wines offer plenty of the textural richness that has become such a signature but with a little more verve in the past. The wines can be deceptive. They are quite appealing on release but from what I have seen so far that does not come at the expense of the wines? ability to age.
v
Customers Viewing This Page Might Also Like These Items
