2013 Luigi Baudana, Langhe Bianco Chardonnay “Dragon” Piedmonte, Italy.
The Luigi Baudana Dragon Langhe Chardonnay by Giuseppe Vajra is a crisp and delicate expression of place rather than pure varietal wine, given the secret that there’s some Riesling blended in here and that it has more elegance than you’d expect from a Piedmonte Chardonnay with wonderfully mineral driven finesse. I love the beautiful and light detail and graceful focus and vitality in this 2013 Dragon, this is just gorgeous with faint floral tones, wet stones and vibrant citrus and stone fruits, it flows across the palate like a ballet dancer, filtered like a watercolor painting, agile and precise with transparency and style, it keeps your attention and never puts a foot wrong. The nose has orange blossom and steely tones with green apple and a touch of tropical fruit along with a trace of hazelnut before a palate of white peach, pear and lemon/lime framed by lifting acidity and light lessy notes. This light bodied white seduces with it’s elegance and clarity, complexity comes in the form of seashells, golden fig and summer crisp melon with a bit of brine and earth, it does fill out with air, but stays contently subtle and Chablis like, I think it is a terrific value and that the Riesling really makes it more intriguing overall, drink this beauty over the next 3 to 5 years, bravo Mr Vajra, this is enticing stuff!
($25 Est.) 92 Points, grapelive
