This is the outlier in Ferrari’s portfolio. 100% Chardonnay with full oak vinification. This bottle was disgorged in 2018. Intense, saturated style with lime marmalade and smoked meat at first, opening up with real complexity of pomelo, peach and candied citrus. Tarragon and sweet wood. A vein of yellow butter and spice runs through the palate. Oak is very, very prominent, yet not tough or dried-out. Time will help.

16.5

Date Tasted : 13/12/2019

100% Chardonnay. Such a fresh and breezy style here, clean green apple and subtle white peach with some herbs and lemon pith. There’s some wet chalk and chamomile – it’s really pretty and delicate. It’s quietly pure on the palate, staying a long way away from any intensity of acid/texture/sweetness or overt ripeness. Aperitif-style, meant in the best possible way

16

Date Tasted : 15/08/2019

Alluring on the nose – a beautiful melange of citrus zest with candied lemon, yellow grapefruit and nectarine. This melds with slightly exotic floral tones, sweet basil and gentle tropical and melon fruit, supported by subtle autolytic creaminess. Quite delicate on the palate, focusing on ripe citrus and the sweet freshness of recent disgorgement. It feels fairly airy and transparent, not really trading on acidity or sugar but just breezily closing out with slightly drying chalkiness. Dosage is low, but just high enough to harmonise and freshen the fruit – nicely judged (I can’t find any information but it certainly seems below 5g/l). Drink young

16

Date Tasted : 01/09/2019

100% Chardonnay with 60 months on lees. This is lovely on the nose, refined and composed with fresh yellow fruits (yellow apple, sweet papaya and starfruit) tinged with Thai basil. There are some classy autolysis flavours here; nut milk and oyster. It’s really breezy and attractive, but with a serious side. The palate is fairly benign in comparison; it avoids heaviness or prominent phenolics and is pleasingly airy and bright, if a little diffuse. Quite low acidity. Well-made example

15.5

Date Tasted : 18/07/2019

70% Pinot Nero, 30% Chardonnay. This claims 36 months on lees (but is probably longer). A sweet, white fleshy character of white peach and juicy pear opens things up. Nice lift from orange oil and anise balls, but also a slightly dried-out hay-like character mingles on the palate with a chalky, carbonic hollowness. There is a good wine in here and I’ll certainly look out for more from this producer, but this bottle has tired quickly

14

Date Tasted : 18/07/2019

This has an open, sunny disposition on the nose with white peach, pear tart richness and pretty jasmine notes, followed by sweet fresh strawberry and whitecurrant. With time it goes a little exotic with clementine and some spicy, sweet warmth like crystallised ginger. Quite gentle and soft-focus at heart, this had a pleasing breadth of fruit at first, tempered with a streak of fuzzy peach skin and a gentle squeeze of fresh acidity on the close

15.5

Date Tasted : 21/09/2019

Pure candied lemon upon popping the cork. After a while a succession of shades of fruit step forward; some sweet orange flashes like passionfruit (yes…!) and tangerine, fragrant fresh apricot and (with air) apple turnover and quince. There is a ripe herbal quality of rosemary honey and anise/tarragon which casts a lovely light on the fruit too, but most interestingly there is this lurking savoury element which keeps popping up and confusing me. I wrote ‘smoked chilli’ which sounds a bit insane and gives the impression that this is a much odder wine than it is, but…let’s say cayenne pepper. I like it.

It seems quite loose on the palate at first, hung around this nice sappy sweet apricot and lemony line of fruit. After time some amaretti biscuit and quince richness pops up. It wears its lees ageing quite lightly with some elegant lemon curd creaminess, but I love the utterly transparent and perfectly-judged dosage (whatever it is….low! 4g/l ish?). A touch of hazelnut skin grip on the finish. I think it is lovely stuff – it misses some of the tension and backbone of truly great Blanc de Blancs for me (warm vintage perhaps?) but makes for delicious drinking

17

Date Tasted : 25/05/2019

Trentodoc, Italy. Glad we had this last (purely by chance). 100% Chardonnay, 8 years on lees. It didn’t need any longer on lees, and it certainly made the most of its time – it’s flashy but it’s very good. Bought for a silly price in Italy (around EU25). You could cause some mischief by putting this in a lineup of expensive late-disgorged wines I think.
—
Bosh! Everyone’s eyebrows raised now. Buttermilk and creme fraiche, some smoky tones but also creamy peach, kiwi and masses of candied citrus. There is freshness on the palate though, which is welcome as the wine has taken on a decadent texture in bottle. It threatens blowsiness with some magnolia and blossomy notes but totally gets away with it. Perhaps a bit O.T.T. for some, but I love it. Length, complexity and a bit of swagger

17

Date Tasted : 02/06/2019