Montebello Chardonnay 2020

From the historic Monte Bello vineyard, this Chardonnay comes from organically farmed plots in the Cupertino hills, at the heart of the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA in California. The selected lots come from the Rousten and Perrone sections, on the cool, misty heights of the property, where the mineral soils contribute to the wine's tension and finesse.

The grapes, harvested by hand, are whole-bunch pressed and then fermented in barrel with native yeasts. Malolactic fermentation takes place naturally and fully. The wine spends seventeen months in barriques made of 90% air-dried American oak and 10% French oak, 10% of which are new. It is bottled unfiltered.

This wine reveals notes of pear, apple blossom, lemon, roasted pineapple, mango, light honey, brioche, toasted hazelnut, flint and wet gravel. The palate, broad and dense on the attack, retains a lovely vivacity that stretches out the wine. Its slightly creamy texture is supported by a mineral backbone, while the long, juicy and saline finish brings precision and freshness.

In the United States, 90% of the wine produced comes from California. It was the influx of gold prospectors into California that boosted the Californian wine industry in the mid-19th century, particularly in Sonoma and Napa. At the start of the 20th century there were 800 wineries. From 1919 to 1933, Prohibition destroyed the vast majority of the Californian wine industry, so much so that by 1933 only 140 wineries were still producing wine. It was not until 1960 that the wine industry began to recover from Prohibition, and California was then known mainly for fortified wines (in the style of Port). It was also in the 1960s that some of the most famous wineries were founded (Mondavi, Heitz Wine Cellars, Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, etc.). In 1976 a landmark event took place: the legendary tasting competition better known as the "Judgement of Paris". It pitted the greatest French wines against the American newcomers. On 24 May, an unexpected result shook the wine world when, to everyone's surprise, the United States came out on top. Yet the competition remains fairly unknown to the general public. Today there is no doubt that the United States produces great wines. Although California largely monopolises the reputation of American wines with its excellent Zinfandels, the state of Oregon produces some of the best Pinot Noir in the world and Washington State offers excellent Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.