Fan D’Oro 2024

Fan D'Oro is a single variety Chardonnay from Bodegas Arzuaga Navarro in Ribera del Duero. The fruit comes from the La Planta estate, planted with vines over twenty years old on clay soil with limestone and solid rock less than a metre underground. The estate sits at around 900 metres, and the combination of poor soil and the harsh continental climate at this altitude gives small yields of concentrated grapes with good acidity. The wide diurnal range, warm days and cold nights, slows ripening and preserves freshness in what is otherwise a warm region. The harvest is done by hand at optimal ripeness. The wine spends six months in French oak barrels, a moderate ageing that adds vanilla and a toasty frame while allowing slow oxygen exchange to soften and round the texture without covering the fruit. The colour is bright gold. The nose shows baked apple, pear and dried fig with honey, white flowers and a light vanilla and toast lift from the oak. The palate is ripe and textured but balanced, with stone and orchard fruit carried by fresh acidity into a clean finish. Serve at 10 to 12 degrees in a white wine glass. It suits roast chicken, richer fish, roasted vegetables and nutty cheeses.