Bodega Chacra Mainque Chardonnay 2017 (750ML)

93+ Points, Christopher Deas, Zachys Buying Team: "Tasted three times. This is truly an exciting new chapter in for Chardonnay and Bodega Chacra. Piero has opened our eyes, and ears, to Pinot Noir from Patagonia, and now with Jean-Marc Roulot, he is doing it with Chardonnay. There are two cuvees, the more village like 2017 Mainque Chardonnay which is produced from both Domaine and rented vineyards, and the more vineyard specific driven 2017 Chacra Chardonnay. Each has the signature Roulot cut of freshness, purity, and salinity. And while a mere 600 bottles of the Chacra Chardonnay are heading to New York's top restaurants, it is the limited production Mainque Chardonnay that we appreciated for its approachability on the palate and in the pocket. This is not your typically warm fruit bomb from the South or New World, it is quite the opposite. In fact, it is just 12.5% alcohol. It is a wine built on finesse, crisp, dry, clean, mouthwatering, and succulent. We tasted this wine over a three day period and you can expect to find delicate nuances of lemon curd, lime, dried apples, sweet corn, fleur del sol - delicate touches, not what you would expect from the dessert and temperatures reaching the 128 degree mark. There is brightness with the ripeness and texture, just enough tension to separate and put this wine in a league to itself. An absoulutely stunning first effort and the Chacra Chardonnay is even more spellbinding (if you can find it). Bravo."

92 Points, Luis Gutiérrez, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "The 2017 Mainqué Chardonnay is the second white produced with grapes from their own and their partners' vineyards that are worked by their own team, since the wines are organic and biodynamic. It was picked early, as some peaks of extreme heat made the grapes ripen early on while keeping the acidity. It fermented in barrel and didn't go through malolactic, reaching some 13% alcohol. The élevage was 11 months in barrique, in Damy barrels (some new and some used) that they took from Domaine Roulot in Burgundy. This has more up-front fruit, as the soils are deeper, but the common theme with the top Chardonnay is the salinity and the tasty finish lent by the calcareous components of the alluvial soils. Even though I expected this to have a sharper personality, it was more mellow. A worthy debut, and it was not a small cuvée: 11,000 bottles were filled in January 2018"

91 Points, Stephen Tanzer, Vinous: "Bright light yellow. Lively aromas of nectarine and peach are complemented by a sexy leesy nuance. Highly concentrated, savory wine with terrific saline mineral intensity to its rather plush stone fruit and lemon flavors. Densely packed, deep and vibrant, this fully ripe Chardonnay finishes with excellent palate-coating length. (12.5% alcohol; star Meursault winemaker Jean-Marc Roulot consults on Chardonnay at Bodega Chacra)" 07/19