Mendoza does to Chardonnay what it does to Malbec: gives it sun, altitude and a long, slow ripening season. This is Argento's estate bottling, fruit grown in the high vineyards of the Uco Valley and the eastern Mendoza districts, where cool nights pull the acidity tight after warm days build the sugar.
- Chardonnay, 100%, estate bottled.
- Mendoza, Argentina, high-altitude vineyards.
- 2022, dry, 13.5% ABV.
- Medium body, medium acidity, low tannin.
- 750ml.
How it is made
Mendoza's vineyards sit between 900 and 1,500 metres up, against the Andes. That altitude is the trick: the sun is fierce enough to ripen Chardonnay fully, but the nights drop cold enough to keep the acid from burning off. The result is a white with real fruit weight and a clean line running through it, which is why Mendoza has become as reliable for Chardonnay as it is for Malbec.
How it tastes
Green apple and citrus first, then a riper tropical note underneath, pineapple and a little mango. There is vanilla and a soft buttery edge from the oak, but it stays in the background. Dry, medium-bodied, with a refreshing finish that cleans up after itself.
Good to know
Argentina planted Chardonnay seriously later than most of the wine world, largely in the 1990s, when growers realised the same altitude that made Malbec sing could do the same for white grapes. Mendoza now produces more than half of all the wine made in the country.
