Castello di Monsanto Fabrizio Bianchi Chardonnay 2021

Here's a personal favorite that I have not tasted in a few years. The partially oak-fermented Castello di Monsanto 2021 Chardonnay Collezione dai Vigneti di Monsanto Fabrizio Bianchi (with 30,000 bottles made) offers generous layers of orchard and tropical fruits with soft vanilla spice over a creamy texture. Fresh acidity and dusty mineral notes give this wine a greater sense of focus and definition. Grapes come from a six-hectare parcel with schist-clay galestro soils.

The nose is hot and fruity, with notes of asphalt, brown butter, star fruit and lemon. The citrus gets dressed up on the palate for a lively, dynamic show with dancing acidity, preening salinity and a mouthcoating, lengthy finish.

The 2021 Chardonnay Collezione Fabrizio Bianchi is stellar. Rich, layered and wonderfully deep, the 2021 has so much to offer. Lemon confit, white flowers, mint, marzipan and chamomile build in an expansive, layered Chardonnay. The 2021 is a serious wine for the dinner table.

Notes of ripe orchard fruit and white peaches with crushed rosemary, pie crust and spices on offer. Vivid and crisp with medium to full body and some saline undertones to it. Flavorful finish. Drink now.

The 2021 Chardonnay Collezione is sunny with melon and pear, orange marmalade, and white flowers. It is full-bodied and has a round, silky texture, with fresh acidity to balance and lift the finish. With notes of lemon curd, yellow apple, some peach, and salty minerality, this fresh white will take another year to open and should drink well drink 2023-2033. With 72 hectares under vine, 56 are planted to Sangiovese.