Chivite Finca Legardeta Chardonnay 2025

Chivite is one of the oldest and most established wineries in Navarra, in northern Spain. This Chardonnay comes from the estate's own Finca Legardeta vineyard at Villatuerta, farmed for low yields so the fruit arrives concentrated. The single-vineyard site and cool Navarran nights hold the acidity that keeps a barrel-aged white in balance. The wine spends five months on its lees in barrel, and that combination does most of the work in the glass. Lees contact and the stirring of the fine sediment build a creamy, broad texture and add a savoury, bready depth, while the barrel contributes vanilla, gentle toast and a slow, measured exchange of oxygen that rounds the wine. Malolactic softening further smooths the acidity into a supple line. Expect a pale gold colour, a nose of white peach, pear and melon layered with vanilla, hazelnut and toasted bread, and a medium to full-bodied palate that is creamy yet fresh through a long finish. Serve at 10 to 12 degrees in a larger white wine glass.