2015 Las Pizarras Chardonnay

The second vintage of this Chardonnay from Aconcagua planted in slate-rich earth was fermented with whole bunches and aged 13 months in French oak, 15% of it new. Yellow in color with an austere nose and shy green apple notes, wood and lees, it is linear on the palate with quite a lot of acidity. Almost chalky in texture but also quite mellifluous, this wine is bound to improve in the bottle.

On its second vintage now, the 2015 Aconcagua Costa "Las Pizarras" Chardonnay was sourced entirely from their Aconcagua Costa Vineyard from specific plots that have a significant component of "pizarra" (schist), hence the name. 2015 was a warm and dry year, but they still managed to bottle a white with 13% alcohol, a low pH of 3.1 and with almost nine grams of acidity! The figures talk about an extreme wine, yet it's wonderfully balanced and pleasant. The full clusters were pressed and the juice put to ferment with indigenous yeasts after 24 hours in French oak barrels. Only half of the wine underwent malolactic fermentation. It matured in barrique (15% new) for 12 months. This has an incredible texture and sharp, pungent acidity more often found in a Riesling than a Chardonnay and also has superb minerality and salinity. I'd be pressed to say this was not a Grand Cru Chablis if tasted blind. A world class Chardonnay from Chile. I'd love to see this wine in ten years. 3,916 bottles were filled in March 2016.

Remarkable fragrance – saline, perfumed, light but intense. Jasmine aromas. Great green apple fruit. Sophisticated and mineral. Tremendous. (RH)