2022 Botanico Chardonnay

From Gualtallary Monasterio.  Selection of bunches. Direct pressing. Fermentation with ambient yeasts in concrete vessels. 90% of the wine was aged in concrete while the remaining 10% was aged in used, untoasted 500-l itre French oak barrels. No malolactic fermentation. Botánico is the yin to the yang of Fósil, made with the same winemaking philosophy but reflecting the greater warmth and breadth you get in Gualtallary over the nervier cool climate of San Pablo. Riper stone fruit and light blossom aromas on the nose also play out on the palate, where a chalky tension and vibrant acidity give a mouth-watering finish. (AB)

Intense and concentrated with length and grip, a textured white wine with a chalky edge majoring on crisp citrus layered through with fennel, thyme, underbrush, and a salted cracker finish. This keeps stretching out; mouthwatering and intense, another excellent white in the Zuccardi range. Concrete vats for fermentation and ageing, with 20% in 500l oak casks. No malolactic, cloudy ferment, direct press. The first white that winemaker-owner Sebastian Zuccardi harvests in the Uco Valley, from compacted sand and limestone soils, surrounded by native vegetation.