Luca G Lot Chardonnay 2020

The 2020 G Lot Chardonnay comes from a warmer year when they picked 20 days earlier than usual. It fermented in French barrels where it matured for eight months. It has a very balsamic profile, it's still very young and the ripeness is contained, similar to the 2019 I tasted next to it. It's creamy and floral, with good freshness and a compact mouthfeel. 30,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in October 2020.

The 2020 Chardonnay Luca "G-Lot" hails from Gualtallary, Uco Valley, and was four-fifths aged in one-quarter new barrels. Yellow with a golden sheen. The nose offers notes of pineapple, cedar and yeast with hints of apple and ginger. Creamy and slick in the mouth, it makes an indulgent entrance before the voluminous flow and terse feel lead on to a fruity finish underlined by the oak.

An oaky nose offers up mild notes of brine, apple and minerals, while this feels chunky and resiny. Oak is primary on the flavor profile, which includes clove, cinnamon and grainy spice but not much overt fruit. Woodiness remains at the fore of a pulpy finish.