Chardonnay is a variety that has seen a tremendous transformation over the past few years. The cultivar, once produced in a heavily-oaked style with intense buttery notes, has shifted to a lighter, fresher style. This shift in styles has increased the popularity of the wine and made it a more palatable wine.
The old styles of heavily-oaked Chardonnay lead to the rise of the “ABC” Movement (Anything But Chardonnay.) Consumers found the oaky, buttery wine too rich and heavy and lead to this anti-Chardonnay movement.
Fortunately, this richness is not directly linked to Chardonnay as a grape, but rather the style in which winemakers produce the wine. Thus, this overly rich style could be corrected.
Today, Chardonnay is produced in a diverse range of styles – from light and crisp to rich and creamy. The use of oak is significantly less than in the past, allowing Chardonnay’s actual characteristics to shine.
This is especially true for our Barony Røsslyng Chardonnay. To highlight the variety’s expressive notes, the wine is left unoaked. This allows for the vibrant citrus, apple and gooseberry notes on the nose and creamy pineapple and ripe peaches on the palate.
While the winemaker's hand plays a huge role, purity of the fruit and concentration of the flavour is also due to the harvest of these grapes. The yield was lower than expected, but these small berries ensured highly concentrated fruit, sugar and elegance.
The wine was left unoaked, but does spend 10 months on the lees. This adds to the slight creaminess and texture in the wine and adding to its complexity.
With that in mind, the Røsslyng Chardonnay is an excellent option for grilled chicken salads, batter calamari or a classic Pasta Primavera.