VILLA BLANCHE CHARDONNAY 2020

Brilliant gold with flashes of green. Expressive aromas of white fruit, apricot and white peach, with hints of aniseed and vanilla on the finish that add complexity and an elegant freshness. Skilful blending creates a balance between density and tension that is rare for our region. All the characteristics of truly great Chardonnay are here, underlined by toasted notes and touches of grilled hazelnut. A stunning wine for its great originality and touch of salinity on the finish. Villa Blanche Chardonnay is just inimitable; frequently copied, but never equalled.

Mundus Vini - Gold

Steve Thurlow & John Szabo, WineAlign’21 - 88p

Jancis Robinson’20 (19vntg) - 16p

Natalie MacLean’20 (19vntg) - 90p & Best Value

Chardonnay du Monde ’19 ’20 (19&18vntg) - Silver

Jancis Robinson ’18 (17vntg) - 15.5p

Sam Kim, Wine Orbit ’18 (17vntg) - 90p 

Chardonnay du Monde’17 (16vntg) - Gold & Top 10

Jon Steeves, NatalieMacLean.com (16vntg) - 91p

Terroir

Volcanic, clay and limestone soil. Climate is Mediterranean, warm and sunny with low rainfall. Winters are mild, summers are hot and the usual dry conditions ensure that the grapes ripen fully. Vines are ploughed; NO WEED KILLER is used. Pruning is short to regulate yields.

Vinification

The grapes are picked at night, in two passes: 1st at an early stage in maturity, to keep wine freshness, 2d 15 days later to get concentration and varietal aromas. Grapes are de-stemmed, then macerated at 5°C for 4 h. Fermentation is temperature - controlled at 15°C (no malolactic).

Aged: 3 months in oak barrels (30% of the wine)

Food Pairing: Great Aperitif. Chicken in creamy sauce, river fish.