Description
Bodega Chacra Mainque Chardonnay 2022 is a light, elegant Chardonnay from Patagonia. It came to my attention when a customer asked me to find the best Patagonian Chardonnay; I think I did pretty well choosing this one! This wine is stunning, a really subtle Chardonnay, more Chablis than old-school oaky Burgundian in style. Read more about different styles of Chardonnay in my blogpost. Having ordered some for my customer’s event, I couldn’t resist having a few extra bottles to share with you.
Bodega Chacra Mainque Chardonnay may at first seem delicate, even a little closed so aerate the wine by swirling in your glass before smelling and tasting. Its seemingly delicate nature opens up to reveal clean, fresh fruity and floral aromas; on tasting, it is the fruit flavours that dominate and a mineral almost saline edge. Only 9% of this wine is aged in new oak barrels and 37% in used barrels, the remainder in concrete eggs and in stainless steel which explains why the profile is fruit-forward. Chacra’s objective is “for the oak, the fruit and the nuances of the soil to marry perfectly so that the influence of the wood is nearly imperceptible in the wine. The vine and the character of the land are expressed to their fullest.”
Bodega Chacra Mainque Chardonnay tastes principally of orchard fruits like pears and green apples with a hint of lime which accentuates the crisp minerality and acidity. The texture is silky and the finish very long. This is a superb elegant New World Chardonnay, the project of an Italian, Piero Incisa della Rocchetta of the renowned winemaking family responsible for cult wine, Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia. Piero found what is now the Chacra estate with vines planted in 1932 and subsequently abandoned. Chardonnay vines were grafted onto the old Pinot Noir rootstock to benefit from the old vines. Working in partnership with Burgundian winemaker, Jean-Marc Roulot, Piero follows organic and biodynamic principles in producing this beautiful Chardonnay.
For another fabulous New World Chardonnay, try Giant Steps Yarra Valley Chardonnay.