2023 Linda Vista Chardonnay, Matthiasson

Linda Vista Chardonnay is Steve and Jill creating the kind of lower alcohol, acid-driven wines they love to drink at home (a favourite of theirs is fellow Flint stablemate Gilbert Picq – we witnessed their meetings of minds at our portfolio tasting, ably translated by Diana Snowden-Seysses). The vineyard is a stone’s throw from the Matthiasson’s house, in the Oak Knoll AVA once considered too cool for reds. The Chardonnay is picked over multiple passes in the vineyard, by their permanent team, to build a spectrum of ripeness in the cellar. All grapes are whole bunch pressed into old oak barrels, with battonage and malolactic are kept to a minimum. The result is a beautiful mix of sunny fruit, a slight creaminess, but laser-focused, mouth-watering acidity throughout.