Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/735024
{ SOMMjournal.com } 95 ARÍNZANO 2010 Gran Vino Chardonnay, Navarra ($79) One of only 14 official Vinos de Pago (VP) estates in all of Spain, Arínzano is investing in its land by compiling an experienced and pas - sionate team. The terroir on this special northerly site in Navarra—most vineyards in the region lie in the south— relies heavily on the northerly breezes coming off of the Atlantic coast as well as elevation, which can vary up to 500 meters. The resulting expression of Chardonnay confounds the palate by showing ripe fruit, which is developing tertiary characteristics at this stage of six years old, but the pointed acidity keeps the wine fresh and delivers a long, bright finish. Manuel Louzada, CEO of the Stoli Group Wine Portfolio and Chief Winemaker at Arínzano, has undoubtedly fallen in love with this plot of Chardonnay, rooting in alluvial soils varying in clay content. He refrains from oxidation in order to let the terroir shine through and loves an age-worthy Chardonnay. The nose smells of baked apples and pears, lemon curd, almond shells and a touch of brown butter while the palate shows red apple and lemon juice with cinnamon-butter toast. The wine spends time in French oak barrels of varying toast levels. TENUTE DEL MUNDO (STOLI GROUP'S PRESTIGE WINE DIVISION) potential, especially when accompanied by the average age, Finca Altamira planted in 1925. The lower yields, something Achával Ferrer encourages even more by high-density planting, compounded with minimal intervention in the winery, produces wine that tastes like it comes from "an island some - where between the Old World and the New World," according to Victoria. With low-temperature fermentation and many pump-overs but no extended maceration in order to ensure soft extraction, the 100 percent Malbec, grown on 13 acres of sandy top soils and volcanic ash, is flood-irrigated with Andean snowmelt. A dark, bold yet beautiful wine offering layers of black - berries, blueberries, dark chocolate and graphite with dried green herbs and a luxurious finish. TENUTE DEL MUNDO (STOLI GROUP'S PRESTIGE WINE DIVISION) Marcelo Victoria from Argentina's Achaval Ferrer. SPAIN Allyson Gorsuch, Deputy Editor for The Somm Journal, is an Advanced Sommelier. She spoke on behalf of Arínzano wines from Navarra, Spain, fresh from her trip to the region.