Portillo Chardonnay 2019
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The 2019 Portillo Chardonnay is a gold yellow color. The nose has subtle scents reminiscent of green apple and pear with mineral notes. The palate has a refreshing mouthfeel of apple, apricot and stony minerality.
Pairs well with a lighter fare such as salads, seafood dishes and pasta or grilled vegetables.
Other Vintages
2017-
Spectator
Wine
Portillo is a collection of easy-to-drink, fresh and fruit-forward wines from Argentina with uncommon quality and concentration that are ideal for every day enjoyment. Grown at the foot of the majestic, snow-covered Andes in the Uco Valley of Argentina's Mendoza winemaking region, Portillo brings a remarkable collection of wines grown at some of the highest elevations on the planet. At this altitude, the sun is closer, the nights cooler, and the vineyards are irrigated by melted glacier water from the Andes.
The name “Portillo”, Spanish for ‘gateway’ or ‘portal’, was inspired by a high elevation mountain pass in the Andes Mountains, which opens a path to the vineyards. The state-of-the-art winery is largely built with local materials, including stones quarried from a nearby valley, enabling the facility to better blend into the surrounding environment. Built on three levels, with much of the facility concealed below ground, Portillo is also notable for its employment of a gravity-flow system. This minimizes handling of grapes and helps protect the integrity of the fruit.
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.
With a winning combination of cool weather, high elevation and well-draining alluvial soils, it is no surprise that Mendoza’s Uco Valley is one of the most exciting up-and-coming wine regions in Argentina. Healthy, easy-to-manage vines produce low yields of high-quality fruit, which in turn create flavorful, full-bodied wines with generous acidity.
This is the source of some of the best Malbec in Mendoza, which can range from value-priced to ultra-premium. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Chardonnay also perform well here.