2025 Bodega Chacra Mainque Chardonnay

Mainqué is Chacra’s regional Chardonnay, made in partnership with Meursault’s Jean-Marc Roulot. The fruit comes from 3 parcels with a range of sand, clay and pebble soils in the Río Negro Valley, all farmed organically and biodynamically. Warmer conditions this vintage yielded bolder flavours than usual.

Picked early to hold acidity and made with no malolactic fermentation, the grapes are fermented with indigenous yeasts, then aged for 10 months in barrels from Roulot’s own domaine in Meursault (30% concrete eggs, 70% French oak, 10% new).

Compared to the flagship single-vineyard Chardonnay, Mainqué is a little more open in its youth - fresh citrus and orchard fruit up front, a line of saline minerality running through, and gentle oak notes in the background. The texture is fine and taut, the finish long and clean, carrying the chalky imprint of the region’s alluvial soils.

It’s a precise, complex wine that shows the same attention to detail as Chacra’s top bottlings, but in a style that’s ready to drink sooner. Production remains small, and demand for these Roulot-influenced Chardonnays is high.

96 points
"The saltiness in this chardonnay is so impressive, with aromas of sliced apples, honey, crushed stones and honeysuckle. Medium-bodied, crunchy, vivid and flavorful, with hints of peaches and grape skin."
- JamesSuckling.com