Casa Madero Chardonnay 2021
Winemaker Notes
The Americas’ oldest wine producing country, Mexico began to produce wine grapes just one year after the arrival of the Spanish in 1520. In the next decade, King Carlos V of Spain ordered that every ship headed to the New World carry vines for cultivation. Over time viticulture spread northwards through the missions into today’s state of California but since then Mexican viticulture and winemaking has faced many challenges. Today the country is experiencing a rebirth with renewed interest in its potential. While there are seven wine producing states in Mexico, the Mediterranean climate of Baja California makes it Mexico’s most important. Most of the state of California’s principal varieties grow here with great success.
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.