Marimar La Masía Chardonnay 2023

Marimar Estate Vineyards & Winery lies in the Russian River Valley in Sonoma, California, the project of Marimar Torres of the Torres wine family. The estate is farmed organically, and this Chardonnay comes from the cooler, fog-influenced western part of the appellation, where morning fog rolls in off the Pacific and slows ripening, holding acidity in the fruit. The 2023 growing season was cooler than usual, which lengthened the hang time and gave the wine extra freshness. It is fermented and aged for nine months in oak barrels, and this cellar work shapes the style: barrel fermentation and lees contact build a creamy, layered texture, while malolactic conversion softens the sharp malic acidity into rounder lactic acidity and lends a buttery note. The oak contributes vanilla, toast and a light spice through slow oxygen exchange across the barrel staves. The result is medium gold, with baked apple, lemon curd and white peach over toasted almond and cream. The palate is full and rounded, the oak and lees weight balanced by the vintage's cool acidity, finishing on nuts and citrus. Serve at 10 to 12 degrees in a broad glass. It suits roast chicken, cod and lobster in butter.