Novellum Chardonnay 2010
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Parker
Robert
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Lafage's 19,000-case production 2010 Novellum Chardonnay - one third barrel-fermented, and grown on cobbled and alluvial soils near the Mediterranean east of Perpignan - has, he relates, become a best-seller in Japan, Germany, and Canada as well as in the U.S. Nearly over-ripe apple and musk melon on the nose and a generously juicy, succulently sappy, lees-enriched, creamy yet somehow at the same time tart-edged palate are tinged with brown spices and hazelnut. The combination here of creaminess with refreshment and levity illustrates a virtue more usually associated with Pinot Blanc. This will prove delightfully versatile over the next 12-18 months.
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One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
An extensive appellation producing a diverse selection of good quality and great values, Languedoc spans the Mediterranean coast from the Pyrenees mountains of Roussillon all the way to the Rhône Valley. Languedoc’s terrain is generally flat coastal plains, with a warm Mediterranean climate and frequent risk of drought.
Virtually every style of wine is made in this expansive region. Most dry wines are blends with varietal choice strongly influenced by the neighboring Rhône Valley. For reds and rosés, the primary grapes include Grenache, Syrah, Carignan, Cinsault and Mourvèdre. White varieties include Grenache Blanc, Muscat, Ugni Blanc, Vermentino, Macabéo, Clairette, Piquepoul and Bourbelenc.
International varieties are also planted in large numbers here, in particular Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon.
The key region for sparkling wines here is Limoux, where Blanquette de Limoux is believed to have been the first sparkling wine made in France, even before Champagne. Crémant de Limoux is produced in a more modern style.