As strange as it seems, Argentina, the land of Malbec, is home to one of our favorite new world Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs.
As it turns out, Patagonia’s Río Negro region is perfect for producing high-quality Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays. The region’s unique climate, with warm days and cool nights, produce complex and highly finessed wines.
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Bodega Chacra was founded in 2004 by Piero Incisa della Rocchetta, the grandson of Sassicaia’s founder, Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta. Back in the early 2000s, Piero first discovered the wines of Río Negro at a tasting in NYC and became obsessed: “I woke up and went to sleep thinking about this wine,” he explained. Piero soon visited the region in person and found an old vineyard planted in 1932 on original rootstocks - he knew immediately it was the opportunity he had been looking for.
The Mainque Chardonnay is a collaboration between Bodega Chacra and Jean-Marc Roulot. The wine is aged in old barrels from Roulot's domaine in Meursault. There’s a very noticeable clarity and precision to the wine that recalls Roulot’s masterful touch.
Mainque comes from 3 distinct parcels with a range of sand, clay, and pebble soils that are all biodynamically farmed. The results in 2022 are striking: a bright, saline mineral core compliments notes of citrus, stone fruit, and white flowers. It has impressive concentration and length, but it really stands out for its incredible tension and poise.
Chacra’s Pinot Noirs offer astonishing purity and levity. The Cincuenta y Cinco Pinot Noir comes from a 7-hectare vineyard of pebbly rocks that was planted in 1955. One of the first things that jumps out is the wines’ texture: silky and tensile. Another common thread for the Pinots is a serious complexity that’s accentuated by a savory undercurrent of minerality that’s reminiscent of Burgundy. The 2022 Cincuenta y Cinco Pinot Noir delivers explosive aromatics and a finely detailed rigorous structure.
We love introducing these wines to new people, as they are such a wonderful and rare reminder that wine regions can still completely surprise you. I strongly encourage you to check these out.
To order, email offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Ian McFadden
Director, Fine & Rare
Crush Wine & Spirits
