Enate Chardonnay 234

Enate and art, they almost rhyme which is, perhaps, no coincidence, come together at a lofty point: the desire to create. When it began in 1992, the winery decided that the pairing of winemaking and contemporary culture would be an essential feature of its character. It was a tricky challenge from a business point of view as well as from an artistic perspective, but it was an undisputed triumph and was copied by others. The concept was a winner: the excellence of an idea is obvious once someone, in this case Enate, has been brave enough to work it out.

It was, in fact, a desire to create. In the same way as a winery is unthinkable without wine, Enate accepted art as the very essence of its identity. The two concepts begin together and mutually enrich one another. Human beings are, essentially, creators of one kind or another and we naturally love the pleasures of life. In 1992, Enate made a formal commitment to pairing the two concepts, contrasting the almost mathematical expertise of a winemaker with the unpredictability of artists inspired by winemaking. Today, Enate is both a winery and a museum. It is both a wine shop and an art gallery and its character has been formed in the excellence of both. Its barrels and walls sum up the great wines of Spain, inhabited by the genius of the great Spanish and international creators.

Chardonnay,

All Enate's plots are in municipalities belonging to the D.O. Somontano in the province of Huesca. Somontano's special conditions mean it is an excellent place for vine-growing, due to a big temperature difference between day and night during the ripening of the grapes (which ensures slow ripening), sandy loam texture of the soil which is permeable to water, pure water from the melting of the snow in the Pyrenees.

The grapes are harvested by hand and put into boxes, upon arrival to the winery they are lightly crushed and placed in a pneumatic press for five hours while they undergo pellicular maceration. The solid waste is removed by natural decantation at 10°C and the must is fermented in stainless steel tanks with selected yeasts and temperature controlled at 16°C. Before the wine is bottled it is clarified, stabilised and filtered; it rests six months before going to market.

Pale yellow in colour with a silvery green sheen. Complex and intense varietal aromas reveal green apple, ripe peach, fennel and exotic fruit (guava and passion fruit) against a subtle mineral background. Full and unctuous on the palate yet clean and fresh due to lively acidity. A lightly honeyed finish leaves a lingering impression.

Our recommendation is that this wine is served between 10-12ºC, no colder, as the perfect accompaniment to pasta, fish, shellfish and white meat.