Community Review

Chardonnay 2013

Mendoza, Argentina

Community Score: 4.4/5
Community Reviews: 1

Sweetness: Dry
Alcohol: 13%

Drink: 2015-2018

Steve Kubota rated this wine as 89/100 with the following review:

I met up with Alamos winemaker Felipe Stahlschmidt and brand ambassador Tatiana Nessier for a luncheon in Vancouver to taste their wines currently available in Canada.

During the course of our tasting I asked Felipe what his favourite wine was. His response was Chardonnay. Making and producing a good Chardonnay is much harder to do than Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec or Syrah.

Alamos Chardonnay is grown at a high altitude and benefits from abundant sunlight, cooler temperatures and clean air. 2013 was a great vintage weather-wise with the absence of frost and high winds in the spring allowing the fruit to hang longer and fully develop their flavour profiles.

The grapes are harvested over a two week period of time and the blocks are all kept separate from one another until it’s time to blend. You may think this is a small enterprise but they have well over 20-blocks to keep separate. All of the grapes are crushed, most put in steel tanks with some spending time in seasoned French oak barrels. The wine is tasted twice daily during the process ensuring quality. There is a panel of growers and winemakers that meet to blind taste the wine. If their wine does not score in one of the top two spots (out of seven to ten competitors) its back to the drawing board. I’d say that these are pretty lofty goals for Felipe and his team, but this shows you their commitment to producing good/great wine.

This 100% Chardonnay has mild oak notes, a hint of spice and butterscotch flavours. There are also fleshy fruit flavours of Fuji apples and Bosch pears. The is balanced wine with medium to medium-full body and the great balance of acidity and full flavours will make this a popular summer sipper. I suggest serving it a tad warmer than you normally do to enjoy the full aromatics and flavours. You will also find the acidity is a bit higher as the wine warms up giving you a nice crisp finish.

Read Natalie's Full Review

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