Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This has very attractive aromas of ripe peaches with hints of lemons and grapefruit and a flinty edge. The palate has a thread of gently toasted hazelnuts through fresh lemons and peaches. So fresh and fleshy with lots of fruit on offer. Drink now.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The lively 2019 Appellation Tupungato Chardonnay shows the freshness of 2019, a very healthy harvest of grapes with good ripeness and full flavor and aroma development. It's fresh but with good density and a round mouthfeel while finishing fresh and with pungent flavors. It's varietal and approachable. 204,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in October 2019 after nine months in barrel. It should develop nicely in bottle.
Rating:</> 92(+)
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.
By far the largest and best-known winemaking province in Argentina, Mendoza is responsible for over 70% of the country’s enological output. Set in the eastern foothills of the Andes Mountains, the climate is dry and continental, presenting relatively few challenges for viticulturists during the growing season. Mendoza, divided into several distinctive sub-regions, including Luján de Cuyo and the Uco Valley, is the source of some of the country’s finest wines.
For many wine lovers, Mendoza is practically synonymous with Malbec. Originally a Bordelaise variety brought to Argentina by the French in the mid-1800s, here it found success and renown that it never knew in its homeland where a finicky climate gives mixed results. Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot and Pinot Noir are all widely planted here as well (and sometimes even blended with each other or Malbec). Mendoza's main white varieties include Chardonnay, Torrontés, Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon.