Mainque Chardonnay by Jean Marc Roulot & Piero Incisa

One left his acting career in France to work on his family domaine. The other, born into the Italian aristocracy, sold his entire watch collection to buy two abandoned hectares of Pinot Noir grapes in Argentine Patagonia. We’re talking about Jean-Marc Roulot and Piero Incisa della Rocchetta. They have now joined forces to create Mainque Chardonnay by Jean Marc Roulot & Piero Incisa.

Mainque Chardonnay by Jean Marc Roulot & Piero Incisa is a white wine made by Bodegas Chacra, in southern Argentina, in the province of Neuquén (in the Río Negro valley), using 40-year-old vines growing in mineral soils with alluvial stones. These vineyards are bathed by air currents from the Antarctic, with low temperatures and not much rainfall. This causes the grape to ripen slowly, keeping the sugar level low and the acidity level high at the time of harvest.

Mainque Chardonnay by Jean Marc Roulot & Piero Incisa is barrel-fermented. Aging continues in different batches: some is placed in concrete eggs, some in stainless steel tanks and the rest in French oak barrels. This lasts for 10 months, and is followed by a final blending.

Today Argentina is the main producer of Malbec. However, its fame for producing red wines does not mean it can’t produce unique and wonderful whites, like this Mainque Chardonnay by Jean Marc Roulot & Piero Incisa: the best introduction to Argentine whites.