Edouard Delaunay Bourgogne Cote d’Or Chardonnay 2021

Laurent Delaunay has rebuilt the historic Edouard Delaunay maison in Burgundy, France, and this Chardonnay is drawn from the Cote d'Or under the Bourgogne Cote d'Or appellation. The slope's limestone and marl soils are the foundation of white Burgundy: they drain well, reflect warmth and lend the wine its firm citrus acidity and mineral cut. A cool continental climate ripens Chardonnay slowly and keeps the fruit fresh. The wine spends twelve months in French oak barrels, where slow oxygen exchange through the wood builds texture and a light toast and vanilla character, and where malolactic fermentation softens the sharper malic acidity into a rounder, creamier feel. Ageing on the lees adds a fine, savoury weight and a faint hazelnut note. The colour is pale gold. The nose combines white peach and green apple with lemon, hazelnut and a hint of toasted bread. The palate is medium bodied and rounded, the citrus and stone fruit set against a creamy, subtly oaky texture that carries to a clean, mineral finish. Serve at 11 to 13 degrees in a white wine glass. It suits roast chicken, white fish and hard nutty cheeses.