The style of Bollini Chardonnay is balanced and fresh, with intense varietal character and refined spice and vanilla notes both on the nose and on the palate. The texture is delicate yet ample, with crisp, refined tropical and white fruit flavors which carry into long finish marked by slightly toasty nuances.

Tasting notes

This clean, medium bodied wine is fresh, crisp and balanced, with ripe melon, pear and apple flavors offset by subtle, toasty oak nuances underscored by a fine acidic note.

Wine maker notes

Overseen by consulting oenologist Franco Bernabei, Bollini Chardonnay is styled to Neil Empson's specifications. Grapes are hand-picked. De-stemmed and placed in stainless steel tanks for a few hours' cold maceration at 12 to 13 degrees C (54 to 56 F). The grapes are then soft-pressed and the must enzymatically clarified. Vinification is initiated wish selected yeasts, with 85 percent of the cuvée fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks at 16 to 17 degrees C (61 to 63F), and 15 percent in new French oak barriques of 228 litres, both over a period of approximately 15 days. After fermentation, the stainless steel cuvée is racked, and 30 percent of this undergoes malolactic fermentation, with both parts kept on the lees at low temperature until blending. The barrique fermented cuvée is kept on the gross lees until malolactic fermentation is completed, with constant bâtonnage to enhance complexity; one racking takes place just before blending. In late February or March, the final blend is assembled.

Technical notes

GRAPE VARIETY: 100% Chardonnay MAXIMUM YIELD: 110 quintals/hectare of which 68% may produce wine (+68 hl/ha; 305 cases/acre) MINIMUM ALCOHOL: 11% TOTAL ACIDITY: 5%