Olivier Leflaive Chassagne Montrachet Houilleres 2022 750ml

This toasty, spicy, generously oaked wine is just coming out of its shell a few months after bottling. It promises more complexity and harmony in the future, but already shows a tasty fruit core of fresh apples, white peaches and mineral accents along with the effects of 20% new barrels that add spiciness. Medium to full in body. Best from 2027.

• Country: France
• Region: Burgundy
• Appellation: Cote De Beaune
• Sub Appellation: Chassagne Montrachet
• Size: 750ml
• Color: White

Varietal

Chardonnay

Of all the white wine grape varietals, surely the one that has spread the furthest and is most widely appreciated is Chardonnay. This green-skinned grape is now grown all over the Old and New Worlds, from New Zealand to the Americas, from England to Chile, and is one of the first varietals people think of when considering white wine grapes. Perhaps this is because of its huge popularity, which reached a peak in the 1990s, thanks to new technologies combining with traditional methods to bring the very best features out of the Chardonnay grape and allow its unique qualities to shine through. Most fine Chardonnay wines use a process known as malolactic fermentation, wherein the malic acids in the grape juice are converted to lactic acids, allowing a creamier, buttery nature to come forward in the wine. No grape varietal is better suited to this process than Chardonnay, which manages to balance these silky, creamy notes with fresh white fruit flavors beautifully.