Jean Leon 3055 Chardonnay 2025

Jean Leon grows this organic Chardonnay in Penedès, in Catalonia, from vines planted in 1991 and harvested by hand. The estate sits inland from the Mediterranean, where warm days ripen the fruit and cooler air off the hills preserves acidity, giving a Chardonnay with ripe stone fruit but a fresh backbone. Fermentation is carried out at 15 degrees over 21 days, a cool, slow ferment that protects the primary fruit aromatics and yields a cleaner, more delicate expression than a warm ferment would. The wine then matures for two to three months in 225-litre French oak barrels, a short passage that adds a light creamy texture and a hint of vanilla and toast without covering the fruit, followed by a few months in bottle before release. The colour is pale gold. The nose shows ripe white peach, melon and pear with a subtle vanilla and almond note from the barrel. The palate is medium-bodied and rounded, the fruit balanced by fresh acidity and a clean, gently creamy finish. Serve at 10 to 12 degrees in a standard white glass. It suits roast chicken, baked white fish and roasted vegetables.