Critic ratings
vinous
2020
Rating:
95
–95
The 2020 Chardonnay Chacra was made in partnership with the Burgundy winemaker Jean Marc Roulot with grapes from a vineyard planted in 1980 in Río Negro. Sixty-two percent of the wines was aged in mostly used barrels, the rest in concrete eggs and amphorae for 11 months. Greenish yellow in hue. The aromas feature pears and a hint of lemon with an attractively bold bouquet of herbs followed by ginger and honey. In the mouth, it’s compact and saline with a lively, packaged flow and delicate nuances. An expressive, long-lasting Chardonnay of tension and a chalky texture.
robert_parker
2021
Rating:
96
–96
I missed the Chacra wines the last time I covered Argentina during the pandemic, so from the 2018s, we jump to the 2021s whites, the top of which is the 2021 Chacra Chardonnay, produced by Jean-Marc Roulot with the help of the Chacra team. It comes from the proper Chacra Vineyard, from 40-year-old vines on mineral soils with alluvial stones covered with calcium carbonate. It fermented with indigenous yeasts, 10% in clay amphorae, 15% in concrete eggs and 75% in French oak barrels, and 75% of the wine matured in barrel for nine months, while 25% of the volume was kept in concrete for that time. It has 13% alcohol and a pH of 3.3. There is a big jump in subtleness, precision and elegance from the other Chardonnay; this comes from better vines, with better soil, more limestone, and it shows the energy, the chalkiness and the sapid sensation, almost saline in the finish. It's high pitched, pure, elegant and subtle, with a velvety mouthfeel but vibrant and full of energy, floral, perfumed, nuanced and with great purity and precision, like a laser cut with the Roulot laser... 14,000 bottles were produced. It was bottled in January 2022.
robert_parker
2017
Rating:
94
–94
They want to reserve the name Chacra for their top estate wines, so the top white is the 2017 Chacra Chardonnay. It was produced with the Burgundian barrel fermentation method, and the wine aged in barrels with the lees for some 11 months. They used about 15% new barrels, and the rest were used barriques from Roulot in Burgundy. They are now building their barrel collection, which they will reuse in future vintages. This was produced exclusively with the grapes from 40-year-old vines that were planted ungrafted with Merlot and late regrafted to Chardonnay, where they have very mineral soils with alluvial stones covered in calcaire. The wine is high pitched and livelier, like an upgraded version of their Mainqué Chardonnay, despite the fact that this top cuvée has gone through full malolactic. This is both rounder and more austere, if that makes sense, with only 12% alcohol, and it just has more intensity and more energy. It has the dry mouthfeel of the chalky texture from the soils and the tasty saltiness the zone tends to deliver. This is a most impressive debut, certainly the best Chardonnay from Río Negro and among the best in Argentina. I'm eager to follow the development of this bottling and the following vintages, as it's unbelievably refined, mineral and intense for a first effort. So, when they get to know their vineyard better, I'm sure the wines will be even better. But it seems like they have found a special place to produce this wine... 1,350 bottles produced. It was bottled in January 2018.
robert_parker
2018
Rating:
95
–95
The 2018 Chacra Chardonnay was produced from a two-hectare plot that was re-grafted on 50-year-old Merlot that has clay and some stones covered in limestone and was the best vineyard for Chardonnay and they kept the deep roots. The wine has great precision and purity in a clear Roulot style. It fermented and matured in 35% new barrels, and they all went through malolactic. The wine has the complexity and depth of old vines, as the roots are really old and established. This could be mistaken for a Grand Cru Burgundy. It has a little bit more oak than the Manqué Chardonnay, but it has much more depth and clout in the palate, and the saline sensation is bigger. It's sharp, precise, chiseled, like laser cut, with great freshness and length. It feels light on its feet, with great inner strength. The flavors linger in your mouth for a long time. 4,100 bottles produced.
