Steel Chardonnay 2020
Trade Tools
France / Burgundy
This unoaked Chardonnay combines the minerality of the Mâconnais with the body and flavor of the Cote d’Or. The vineyard soils contain a high percentage of chalk and limestone, which imparts firm mineral nuances. Steel Chardonnay is vinified with no oak and malolactic fermentation instead being aged in stainless steel tanks to retain the elegant aromas and clean, fresh character that the Burgundy region is prized for.
Harvest Note
This was a vintage with a growing season which began quite early. The winter season was significantly warmer than the norm
with some useful precipitation that fortified the soils. This triggered the vines into early budbreak in March. Fortunately, this
early start was spared any serious frost events except for a few isolated vineyards. Warm and dry conditions throughout the
vegetative cycle continued with flowering in late May and veraison in mid-July. The harvest began in mid-August under sunny,
clear, and optimal dry conditions. In fact, the 2020 harvest was the earliest recorded in several centuries. The wines are
promising, showing plenty of concentration from the ripe and perfectly clean fruit.
Tasting Note
This wine shows high-toned aromas of citrus, mandarin orange, white flower, pear and apple, with flinty minerality. Surprisingly concentrated and balanced for such a young wine, the flavors on the palate are at once delicate, powerful and rich.
Technical Data
GRAPES: 100% Chardonnay
APPELLATION: Burgundy
PH: 3.3
ACIDITY: 0.30 g/l
ABV: 12.57%
RESIDUAL SUGAR: 1.3 g/l
Unique Selling Points
- Unoaked Chardonnay with the minerality of the Maconnais and the body and flavor of the Cote d’Or.
- Fresh, light, crisp and refreshing.
- Vinified without oak to retain the wine’s elegant aromas and clean, fresh character.
“My aim is to craft enchanting wines that taste of the great diversity of Burgundy.”
Frederic Barnier, Winemaker
About the Grape
Chardonnay
Though it has a distinctive profile, Chardonnay reflects other factors such as soil composition and vinification technique. Chardonnay is a reliable, hardy and prolific vine whose only real vulnerabilities are frost and uneven development of fruit.
