Abbotts & Delaunay Pays d'Oc Les Fruits Sauvages Chardonnay 2022

	By Bourguignon Laurent Delaunay
	Partly fermented and matured in new oak
	Delicious as a drink and at the table

Description

Who better than a skilled Bourguignon to make a beautiful Chardonnay in the south of France? Laurent Delaunay, scion of a Burgundy wine family, bought the small 'boutique winery' from the talented Australian Nerida Abbott in the village of Marseillette in 2005 and has since expanded the range.

The wood-aged Chardonnay is Delaunay's 'signature wine'. He selects grapes from higher-altitude plots in, among others, the Cevennes and Limoux. He ferments a third of the yield in new oak barrels. That part also undergoes the second fermentation so characteristic of Burgundy.

Laurent then combines the wine fermented in oak with the wine fermented in stainless steel. Finally, he allows the final assembly to mature 'on the lie' for another nine months with periodic batonnâge. The result is a beautifully made Chardonnay with delicious oak tones and a full, soft taste.