2024 Bodega Chacra Mainque Chardonnay

97 pts
A finely etched Patagonian Chardonnay from sandy, organically farmed soils, offering early-drinking appeal without losing the precision and mineral drive Chacra is known for.
4.0
Rated 4.0 out of 5 stars
1 Review

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Description

Mainqué is Chacra’s regional Chardonnay, made in partnership with Meursault’s Jean-Marc Roulot. The fruit comes mainly from sandy parcels in the Río Negro Valley, all farmed organically and biodynamically. Picked early to hold acidity, the grapes are fermented with indigenous yeasts, then matured for 10 months in a mix of French oak (a small portion new), concrete eggs and stainless steel.

Compared to the flagship single-vineyard Chardonnay, Mainqué is a little more open in its youth — fresh citrus and orchard fruit up front, a line of saline minerality running through, and gentle oak notes in the background. The texture is fine and taut, the finish long and clean, carrying the chalky imprint of the region’s alluvial soils.

It’s a precise, quietly complex wine that shows the same attention to detail as Chacra’s top bottlings, but in a style that’s ready to drink sooner. Production remains small, and demand for these Roulot-influenced Chardonnays is high.

97 points & Argentinian Wine of the Year
"Linear, tense and intense with endless length."
- JamesSuckling.com

95+ points
"Tight, saline, with quartz-like grip and grapefruit pith; excellent structure for future development."
- Gary Walsh (The Wine Front)

97 points - "So linear and driven, with so much tension and intensity. Aromas of sliced apples, lemons and stones. Medium-bodied with flavors of apples, seashells, lemons and crushed stones. It goes on and on. Matured in 30% amphorae and 70% oak. Fantastic. Drink or hold." - JamesSuckling.com

95+ points - "Ripe lemon, lemon oil, quite a bit of flint, cinnamon pastry, oyster shell, a little fennel and white pepper. This is very tight, leans into saline and offers quartz-like grip, more than fruit, grapefruit pith, an electric wine of some restraint, though it is very tasty all the same. Not a huge amount of flavour though the structure is very good. It will be something, I feel, with another year or two on it. I’d have liked to have spent more time with it." - Gary Walsh (The Wine Front)

93 points - "Sourced predominately from sandy soils on the same property as the Lunita Pinot Noir, the 2024 Mainqué Chardonnay opens with a fresh, lifted bouquet with floral and herbal flourishes that gain volume with aeration. The palate is fittingly chiseled, slender and delicate, releasing into a long, nuanced and iodine-tinged finish that becomes increasingly nimble and dynamic in the glass." - Matthew Luczy (The Wine Advocate)

Customer Reviews

4.0
Rated 4.0 out of 5 stars
Based on 1 review
Total 5 star reviews: 0 Total 4 star reviews: 1 Total 3 star reviews: 0 Total 2 star reviews: 0 Total 1 star reviews: 0
1 review
  • JC
    Jack C.
    Verified Buyer
    19 seconds ago
    Rated 4 out of 5 stars
    Nice drop

    Razor-sharp minerality, green apple and lemon zest notes, and a salty, taut finish

Done in collaboration with Jean-Marc Roulot, was picked early as the grapes ripened early but maintained acidity. Fermented in barrel without malolactic, spending 11 months in barrique, this has an up-front fruit, a salinity shared with Chacra Chardonnay, and a tasty finish lent by the calcareous components of the alluvial soil.

100% Chardonnay
Aged: 18% in concrete eggs, 25% in stainless steel tanks and 57% in French oak barrels (12% new) for 10 months

Price Bracket $101 and Above
Type White
Body Medium Bodied
Variety Chardonnay
Country Argentina
Region Patagonia
Feature Biodynamic
High Score
Iconic
Organic
Reviewed By The Wine Advocate
James Suckling
The Wine Front
Critic Score 97
95
Alcohol 12.5%
Size 750ml
Vintage 2024
Closure Cork

Bodega Chacra

Bodega Chacra is located in the Rio Negro Valley of northern Patagonia, in the dead centre of Argentina.

Founded in 2003 by Piero Incisa della Rocchetta - the grandson of Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta, creator of Sassacaia, one of the monuments of Italian wine. After trying a Patagonian Pinot at a tasting in NYC, Piero began searching for site in the Rio Negro region, a search that bore fruit in the Mainque area. He took over a site with ungrafted vines dating back to 1932, and the development of a world class winery too shape, with a focus on organic and biodynamic viticulture.

He brought legendary Meursault producer Jean-Marc Roulot on board to aid in the planting and vinification of Chardonnay - not a bad advisor! Piero's dedication to producing outstanding Pinot Noir and Chardonnay was rewarded when Chacra Treinta y Dos Pinot 2018 was named Best Wine in the World by James Suckling.

Winemaker Piero Incisa Bodega Chacra

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