2020 Damien Guadagnolo Chardonnay Le Carre
WINEMAKER: Damien Guadagnolo
REGION: Jura, FR
VARIETY: Chardonnay
VITICULTURE: Organic/Biodynamic
The wine is a pure and mineral-rich expression that invites you to indulge without hesitation. If you're drawn to typical Jura Chard, this wine is a must-try. It embodies the character of Orbagna's sought-after terroir, crafted naturally and biodynamically. It offers up candied citrus and stone fruit aromas. The wine's clean, mineral depth and elegant grape variety shine. Think meadows, Meyer lemon, and nettle on the nose, while the palate offers a balance of roundness and zesty acidity with flavours like salted pineapple, confit lemon, and spices. The finish is long, salty, lots of tang and juicy and I love it!
A fighter in every sense of the word, Damien Guadagnolo is going places. I first met Damien last year in 2022 along with other Ganevat disciples at the time. He stood out being wines made much like his mentor but a personality all his own. Probably because he has been selling his fruit to Anne et Jean-François Ganevat for a while now. He owns a plot of Biodynamic certified Chardonnay, Ploussard and Trousseau in the Sud-Revermont area of the Jura. A retired professional Boxer, he knows what hard work and dedication is. I met him at his new property that was originally owned by a prominent winemaker in Orbagna. It was in disrepair and the vineyards overgrown. With the same hard work and dedication to his boxing, he is slowly replanting the vineyards and renovating the huge house and cellars. Kind and welcoming but tough and determined, there is so much more to come with this producer and I am honoured to be taking this journey with him.
All grapes are grown in plots that are biodynamically certified and are handpicked and transported back to his cave in Orbagna. White grapes are pressed and undergo natural fermentation in stainless steel vats and age in burgundy barrels with a little sulphur at bottling. Reds are whole bunch carbonic ferment in stainless with natural yeasts and basket pressed. They also go into burgundy barrels for upbringing and bottled with very little sulphur." - Greg Murphy, importer