Winemaker Notes
DAKÉL's Chardonnay expresses delicate aromas of apple, citrus blossom and crème brûlée. On the palate, the creaminess is balanced by an exuberant minerality and freshness that creates a perfect tension in this wine. The luxurious texture is complemented by flavors of honeydew melon, star fruit and a persistent saline finish that reflects the vineyard's proximity to the sea.
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2021 Chardonnay Viñedo Maricerro from Itata was aged for 10 months in French barrels. Green with a yellowish sheen in the glass. The green apple-dominated nose presents hints of acacia and ginger over a layer of oak. Creamy and oily with tart acidity in the mouth, the vibrant, fatty palate ends with a long, fruity finish.
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James Suckling
A creamy and delicious chardonnay exuding notes of bread crust, chopped apples, hazelnuts and butter. Full-bodied, lactic and buttery, but very fresh and elegant, too.
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Wine Spectator
Elegant and expressive, this white displays lovely apple blossom and clove notes up front that join a vibrant core of baked quince and spice-poached pear, with a measure of minerally richness underneath that builds as this works its way to the finish around salted melon notes. Drink now through 2035. 128 cases made, 128 cases imported.
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Decanter
Fleshy, ripe and well-spiced, this Chardonnay from Chilê's Itata Valley, is grown in cooler climes found in the coastal mountain range, Cordillera de la Costa. 19km from the Pacific lies the estate vineyard, Viñedo Maricerro and its 25 year-old vines. Aromatic notes of candied ginger, honeyed pear and dollops of nutmeg, and traces of almond cream mark this Chardonnay which has undergone full maloactic fermentation and was raised 12 months in 10% new French oak. Rich ripe fruits are led by spiced pear, apple cake and notes of nutmeg, cinnamon and honeyed ginger notes.
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.
A cool, rather wet region of southern Chile, Bio Bio is experiencing an increase in the development of quality wine production.