OT: Enate Chardonnay – 234 2015

• Winery: Bodegas Viñedos y Crianzas del Alto Aragón (Enate) Avenida de las Artes, 1 – 22314 SALAS BAJAS (Huesca – España – Spain). Viñedos y Crianzas del Alto Aragón (Enate) was founded in 1991 with the goal to produce high-quality wine in the Somontano appellation, and it harvested its first grapes in 1992. The winery also has a strong link to contemporary art: the building itself is an architectural piece of art, including the decoration of the inner spaces. The commitment and love of art is reflected in the wines’ labels, which are reproductions from contemporary artists’ paintings. Its peculiar label has been designed by Pepe Cerdà, a plastic artist from Huesca.
• Phone: +34 974 30 25 80
• Winemaker: Jesús Artajona Serrano
• Website: www.enate.es  
• Brand: Enate Chardonnay – 234
• DO: Somontano
• Type: Young White Wine (unoaked) Enate Chardonnay – 234 undergoes a traditional fermentation and spends 6 months in the bottle before it is released onto the market. D.O. Somontano can be found at the foothills of Pirineo, in the town of Huesca. There are Mediterranean and Atlantic influence, the mountains clear the clouds and help lower the temperatures allowing a long ripening of the grapes, contributing to the high acidity of the wines.
• Vintage: 2015
• Alcohol: 14.5%
• Grape Variety: 100% Chardonnay
• Vineyards:  The grapes are grown in a unique estate, the 234, where it gets its name from. Coming from a single estate, the grapes were handpicked, destemmed, gently crushed and kept in contact with their skins for 5 hours. Then Enate Chardonnay – 234 was fermented in stainless steel tanks under strict temperature control and using only selected yeasts. The wine was clarified with bentonite and stabilized before its bottling.
• Soil Type: very permeable soils, with great drainage capacity and poor in organic matter.
• Bottle Size: 75.0 cl.
• Price: Available at 6.25 €, at my local grocery shop.
• My wine rating: 89/100 (A wine of very good to excellent quality) NEW!

Enate Chardonnay – 234 2015 is one of the best Chardonnay produced in Spain. It offers a perfect equilibrium between acidity and sweetness (this year in particular). And superb value for money.

Dave McIntyre, Food columnist at The Washington Post wrote on 15 October 2013: Spanish chardonnay? Why not, when it’s this good: an excellent unoaked version with lots of tree-fruit flavors and mineral talc notes, along with a hint of tropical fruit and an invigorating citrus finish. No, it isn’t masquerading as Chablis, the pinnacle of unoaked chardonnay, but this is a delicious expression of the grape. (Source: 5 wines for fall)