Pages

Thursday, August 25, 2016

An Unusual Suspect: Tuscan Chardonnay



Just south of Florence lies the Carpineto Dudda Estate which is home to the Chardonnay vines that bear the fruit for today's article.  Sitting at an elevation of just over 1,000 feet,  the vines benefit from a rare but ideal climate that gives Chardonnay an unexpected home in the hills of Tuscany.  

Although small in terms of acreage, the estate is comprised of only 8 hectares,  the property boasts Carpineto's state of the art aging cellar and caves that were excavated below the valley floor. 

~ Here you can see the villa in the background to the left and the refrigerated warehouse with caves below directly behind the villa.  At any given time, Carpineto will age 3.0M bottles below the warehouse ~

While you may be familiar with the name "Farnito", like me you may have expected it to refer to Carpineto's Cabernet Sauvignon, which is made under the identical trade name. While it may be unusual to find Chardonnay in the Tuscan hills, there is nothing unusual about the quality of this wine.  It bears the same hallmarks as the rest of the producer's portfolio.  

The 2015 Farnito Chardonnay is a medium gold color with an almost clear transparent ring.  Upon opening, I noticed a slight sediment in the bottle so I quickly double decanted the wine.  The aromas are classic Chardonnay with pear, pineapple, and mineral lime notes.  Although the wine is barrel fermented, it is crisp, clean and refreshing on the palate without that buttery, viscous texture that can sometimes be overdone.  Flavors follow the aromas with slight hints of almond and hints of spice toward the finish.  We served this along side peel and eat shrimp as an antipasto while we watched the ocean roil away.  It was the perfect pairing.   88 points and an attractive value under $20


~ The Farnito is 100% Chardonnay ~



Salute!

No comments:

Post a Comment