San Marzano is a Puglian estate in San Marzano di San Giuseppe, in the province of Taranto, and this is its Chardonnay from Salento. The grape is not native here. Salento is a flat, hot, bright peninsula, and Chardonnay planted in it ripens fully and keeps its shape.
- Chardonnay, grown in Salento, Puglia.
- Salento IGT, a wide appellation across the Salento peninsula.
- 2021, a warm and steady vintage in southern Italy.
- Dry, medium body, medium acidity, low tannin.
- 13% ABV, 750ml.
How it is made
Salento IGT is the flexible designation that covers the flat southern heel of Puglia, where the sun does most of the work and growers pick early to hold on to freshness. Chardonnay has no long history in the south of Italy. It arrived because the climate suits it, and because the variety keeps its acidity even when the days are hot.
How it tastes
White peach first, then citrus, with almond coming through on the back. There is a mineral edge that keeps the fruit from sitting flat, and the finish is soft rather than sharp. Medium in body, dry, and low in tannin, as white wine is.
Good to know
Salento is better known for Negroamaro and Primitivo, the two red grapes that made the region's name. Chardonnay is the newer arrival, planted widely across the peninsula over the last few decades and now one of the most planted white varieties in Puglia.
