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White
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Long-term Pre-Arrival
White
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $145.78
A blend of Chardonnay grapes and a small quantity of Grechetto make a wine that can age over time and represent the...
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
White
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $95.45
2015 was a textbook vintage and this is a great Cervaro. Citrus, cream and white flowers on the nose lead seamlessly...
DC
97
JS
95
Case only
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White
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $113.54
This is big and powerful, without being ripe and heavy. So much apple, stone, and hints of toffee. Aromatic....
JS
99
WA
94
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White
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $91.95
A full-bodied white with complex aromas of hawthorn, ripe peach, apricot, mango, lime, flint, toast and some smoke....
JS
97
WA
95
Case only
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White
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $90.05
Complex nose of toast, charred pineapple, green papaya, kaffir lime and lemon. Crushed stones and white pepper, too....
JS
97
VM
93
Case only
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White
375ml - Case of 12
Bottle: $55.21
This is very aromatic and lifted with mineral, nougat, floral, and lightly cooked apples. Some flint and matchstick....
JS
97
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
White
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $92.01
This is very aromatic and lifted with mineral, nougat, floral, and lightly cooked apples. Some flint and matchstick....
JS
97
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
White
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $82.23
A blend of Chardonnay grapes and a small quantity of Grechetto make a wine that can age over time and represent the...
Case only
Long-term Pre-Arrival
White
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $48.31
The 2021 Bramìto della Sala is an Umbrian Chardonnay that reaches up from the glass with a sweetly seductive mix of...
VM
89

Chardonnay Italy Umbria

Of all the white wine grape varietals, surely the one which has spread the furthest and is most widely appreciated is the 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.

There are few countries in the world with a viticultural history as long or as illustrious as that claimed by Italy. Grapes were first being grown and cultivated on Italian soil several thousand years ago by the Greeks and the Pheonicians, who named Italy 'Oenotria' – the land of wines – so impressed were they with the climate and the suitability of the soil for wine production. Of course, it was the rise of the Roman Empire which had the most lasting influence on wine production in Italy, and their influence can still be felt today, as much of the riches of the empire came about through their enthusiasm for producing wines and exporting it to neighbouring countries. Since those times, a vast amount of Italian land has remained primarily for vine cultivation, and thousands of wineries can be found throughout the entire length and breadth of this beautiful country, drenched in Mediterranean sunshine and benefiting from the excellent fertile soils found there. Italy remains very much a 'land of wines', and one could not imagine this country, its landscape and culture, without it.

Despite being one of Italy's smallest wine regions, the central Italian region of Umbria is a vitally important one, and home to many of the country's finest and most historic wines and wineries. The reputation of Umbrian wines may have suffered in the 1970s, along with the produce of much of the rest of the country, but the 1980s and 1990s saw significant efforts made by vintners when it came to improving their produce and overall image. By consulting international oenologists, the wineries of Umbria were able to update their traditional techniques, and produce considerably finer wines from their Sangiovese grapes, as well as from imported varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Chardonnay. Indeed, the barrel fermented white wines of Umbria, now made with a blend of Chardonnay and Grechetto varietal grapes, has gone on to be something of a flagship product for the region, and is regarded as one of the best and most characterful white wines in Italy.