Chardonnay Las Pizarras, Viña Errazuriz 2015

The structure and length of this white highlights its greatness. Full body, yet tight and structured with a superb linear backbone of ripe fruit and fine phenolic tension. Cream, stone, flint and apple. All about refined texture. Drink or hold.

Francisco Baettig thinks this is the best wine he's ever made and I'm inclined to agree, as it sets a new benchmark for South American Chardonnay. Savoury, focused and stylishly oaked, with notes of lemon zest and baking spices, it wouldn't look out of place in a line up of Grands Crus Burgundies.

On its second vintage now, the 2015 Aconcagua Costa "Las Pizarras" Chardonnay was sourced entirely from their Aconcagua Costa Vineyard from specific plots that have a significant component of "pizarra" (schist), hence the name. 2015 was a warm and dry year, but they still managed to bottle a white with 13% alcohol, a low pH of 3.1 and with almost nine grams of acidity! The figures talk about an extreme wine, yet it's wonderfully balanced and pleasant. The full clusters were pressed and the juice put to ferment with indigenous yeasts after 24 hours in French oak barrels. Only half of the wine underwent malolactic fermentation. It matured in barrique (15% new) for 12 months. This has an incredible texture and sharp, pungent acidity more often found in a Riesling than a Chardonnay and also has superb minerality and salinity. I'd be pressed to say this was not a Grand Cru Chablis if tasted blind. A world class Chardonnay from Chile. I'd love to see this wine in ten years. 3,916 bottles were filled in March 2016.

The 2015 Pizarras Chardonnay sets a new standard for South America.