2014 Vignerons Les Matheny Chardonnay, Arbois, France (750ml)   

Quite a few parcels comprise Les Matheny’s Chardonnay. Emeric vinifies each one separately, deciding on the final blend only after each individual wine develops its personality with time in barrel . . .

Tasting Notes: Produced from vines averaging 45 years of age, the wine soars from the glass, a storm of ripe green apples, freshly blasted quarry, and musky honey. The palate is both firm and expansive, with a generous pinch of telltale Jurassic salt lengthening the complex, penetrating flavors of greengage and candied lemon. Emeric’s “partial sous-voile” approach shows in the wine’s gently oxidative edge—one that bows to the veil without making a virtue of it. For such a bold and assertive wine to remain so straightforwardly delicious is a difficult balancing act.