2020 Montaribaldi Stissa d'le Favole Langhe Chardonnay DOC

Montaribaldi makes Vineyard wines as they say and means that the wine has to be 'made' in the vineyard and not with all kinds of tinkering in the winery. A beautiful terroir, quality instead of quantity, old vineyards, low plant density, deliberately low yield are principles that Montaribaldi applies to get great grapes and then making beautiful wine is a piece of cake.

The Langhe Chardonnay DOC Stissa d'le Favole is a young white wine made from 100% Chardonnay grapes coming from a vineyard located in the municipality of Alba at an altitude of 200 meters. The vineyard is almost 50 years old and has the typical Piedmont terroir of lime, marl and fine sand. The Chardonnay grapes are harvested between the end of August and the beginning of September. Once in the winery, the grapes are destemmed, crushed and cooled (temperature of 10-13°C). They are then lightly pressed in the pneumatic press to separate the skin from the must. This is done very lightly (soft crush) so that only the pure juice comes out. The must is then left to rest for a few days in stainless steel thermo-conditioned tanks (13°C) to separate the turbidity. The clear must undergoes alcoholic fermentation at a temperature of 15-18 ° C and lasts about ten days. Then 25% of the chardonnay is put in new barriques (225L) with regular battonage so that the wine stays in contact with its lees. The remaining 75% is also in constant contact with the lees, but in stainless steel tanks. Finally, after about 8 months, the wine is mixed together and bottled. The Langhe Chardonnay DOC Stissa d'le Favole then remains in the cellars of Montaribadi for a while to mature in peace and only then becomes available.

This is a wonderful Chardonnay. The combination of oak and stainless steel makes the wine fresh and rich with notes reminiscent of aging in oak barrels. The Langhe Chardonnay DOC Stissa d'le Favole is just like a chardonnay can taste: Elegant, fresh, aromatic, fruity. In the glass, the wine has a straw yellow color with green reflexes. On the nose, the wine is intense with notes of tropical fruits (especially banana and pineapple), along with vanilla and toasted aromas (bread, nuts) from aging in oak barrels. This wine is perfect to enjoy as an aperitif and with beautiful fish dishes such as grilled dorade and scampi.