Sato - La Ferme de Sato Les Blanches Chardonnay - 2022

The 2022 Les Blanches, named after the white stones in the vineyard, is one of two Chardonnays made at the estate, across three blocks. This Chardonnay is from the top of the vineyard in Pisa, and the Mendoza clone is grown in schist and quartz. It is the windiest place here, and the boniest in soil type. The canopy growth is limited by the wind, and the bunches and berries are small. In the mouth, the wine is textural and chalky, with white flowers and rocks, intense minerality and finesse. The lean austerity of this wine echoes its birthplace, a satisfying thing to behold for any wine lover. It is difficult to separate the wines from this place, from Yoshiaki and Kyoko, who grow and make the wines; they are Japanese, and their attention to detail is predictably supreme, and the wine speaks of this. The texture its enduring and the wine's most attractive character. 96 Points Erin Larkin, The Wine Companion