‘Mano'

Chardonnay, Bugey, France 

Like marrying Burgundy's refinement to Jura’s ferocity, aka a chardonnay to make the Burgundians blush. Winemaker Luc Bauer is deeply committed to biodynamics and takes pride in his farming. His estate consists of just under 2.5 hectares of vineyards spread across numerous steeply sloped and wonderfully rocky sites. The ‘Mano’ chard resides on stony limestone scree, which offers nutrients, and gray marl which helps to delay ripening and up acidity. Aged for 12 months in wood barrels and sandstone jars (a type of amphora) to aid integration and encourage intricacy. Tense and mineral, flinty and reductive, chalk dust, meyer lemon tree, deep mining, sweet spice, oceanic salt & acidity racing you to the finish line…wherever that may be. Pour alongside a lake fish feast.