Bodega Chacra Mainque Chardonnay 2021
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James
Suckling -
Robert
Parker
Product Details
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Winemaker Notes
Done in collaboration with Jean-Marc Roulot, was picked early as the grapes ripened early but maintained acidity. Fermented in barrel without malolactic, spending 11 months in barrique, this has an up-front fruit, a salinity shared with Chacra Chardonnay, and a tasty finish lent by the calcareous components of the alluvial soil.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This has a complex yet refined nose of sliced apples, peach pits, smoked almonds, wet stones, chalk and white pepper. Hints of beeswax, juniper and cedar, too. It’s medium-bodied, elegant and light-footed, yet powerful, too. Creamy layers of stones and stone fruit slowly evolve to blanched almonds and nougat. Very long and precise. Try this from 2024. From biodynamically grown grapes.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2021 Mainqué Chardonnay is the second white here, produced by Jean-Marc Roulot from 40-year-old ungrafted vines in Mainqué in the Lunita property (where they regrafted the vines to Chardonnay), where they work with cover crops, no chemicals and bees. It fermented with indigenous yeasts, 70% in French oak barrels and 10% each in clay amphorae, concrete egg and stainless steel, and it matured for nine months, 70% in barrel and 10% each in concrete and stainless steel. It has the precision and purity of Roulot, which to a certain extent is the result of thorough work with the press. "He sent us the press program," Piero told me. "And we now have two presses. We are learning." When I thought about what was in common between the reds and the whites, I came up with three words: precision, purity and elegance. It has notes of white flowers and a touch of fennel and other aromatic herbs. Best after 2022.
Other Vintages
2022-
James
Suckling
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James
Suckling
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James
Suckling
The climate is dry, with maximum humidity of thirty percent and an average of seven inches of rainfall annually. This aridity, coupled with the natural barrier of the surrounding desert, results in a complete absence of phylloxera and vine diseases. The air is pristine and without pollution, creating tremendous luminosity and purity of sunlight. During the ripening period, in the first quarter of the year, diurnal temperatures vary widely, ranging from an average of 82.4F (28C) during the day and 48.2F (9C) at night. The seasons are precisely defined, with hot summers, cold winters and mild springs and autumns. This consistency of climate enhances consistency of the wine from vintage to vintage.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
One of the most southerly regions on the globe for fine wine production, Patagonia has experienced extraordinary vineyard expansion since the early 2000s.
Patagonia vineyards occupy the lower foothills of the Andes at 1,000 to 1,600 feet. Here cold air drops at night from incredibly steep elevations—the Andes reach well over 15,000 feet in this zone—a phenomenon that produces drastic diurnal shifts. Cold nights contrasted with hot summer days produce grapes with striking color, full ripeness, great finesse and aromatic intensity.
Favored for its luxury brands, the Patagonia wine growing region of Argentina focuses on a diverse array of international varieties: Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillón and Viognier among the white grapes, and Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon for reds.