Castillo de Monjardín Chardonnay Reserva 2021

Bodegas Castillo de Monjardín sits at Villamayor de Monjardín in central Navarra, at the foot of the Pyrenees, an area shaped by French history and long used to growing Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. This is their Chardonnay Reserva, made from vines on the cooler, higher ground below the mountains. The altitude and the mountain air widen the gap between day and night temperatures, which slows ripening and keeps the acidity fresh even as the fruit fills out. The wine is aged twelve months in French oak barrels, and the barrel work does most of the shaping here. The malolactic conversion turns the sharper malic acid into softer lactic acid for a creamier feel, while lees contact and slow oxygen exchange through the wood build a rounder, fuller texture and lend vanilla and toast. The colour is bright gold. The nose shows white peach, pear and melon over vanilla, hazelnut and toasted bread. The palate is rounded and creamy, with the oak carrying ripe orchard fruit through to a long, honeyed finish held together by fresh acidity. Serve at 10 to 12 degrees in a white wine glass.