Villa Noria Les Colombiers Chardonnay, Pays d'Oc 2023
A rich, textured and beautifully crafted Chardonnay, with inviting notes of exotic fruits layered with a touch of vanilla through to a toasty, brioche finish.
The Chardonnay grapes come from a single vineyard ‘Les Colombiers’, which is located at the bottom of a volcanic hillside. This volcanic terroir has basaltic soils, which is formed from cooled, hardened, and weathered lava, which contains high proportions of iron imparting the wine with distinctive minerality. The Mediterranean climate, with its warm, dry summers and relatively mild winters offers excellent conditions in which the Chardonnay vines flourish. The high number of sunshine hours results in wines that are powerful, rich and aromatic, but also fresh due to the tempering effects of the maritime influence from the Mediterranean Sea. The vines are pruned according to the Guyot method. The vineyard is certified organic and sustainable practices are employed in the vineyard. The vines are surrounded by hedges, to protect them from pesticide treatments in the neighbouring fields and also to provide a refuge for the wildlife, enhancing biodiversity and creating a balance. Harvested in the cool of the night to retain freshness.
The carefully selected grapes were received into the winery via gravity and immediately pressed to extract the juice. Fermentation took place with natural, wild yeasts present on the grape’s skin, at low temperatures of 15°C in French oak barrels. The wine was aged on its lees in new 500 litre French oak barrels for six months, with monthly bâtonnage imparting a creamy texture.
| RRP | £16.50 |
| Vintage | 2023 |
| Alcoholic strength | 12.5% |
| Grapes | Chardonnay 100% |
| Dry/Sweet value | 2 |
| Vegetarian | Yes |
| Vegan | Yes |
| Milk | No |
| Eggs | No |
| Organic | Yes |
| Biodynamic | No |
Villa Noria is the story of two wine enthusiasts, Fabien Gross and Cédric Arnaud, who both grew up in viticultural regions - Languedoc and Alsace - surrounded by vineyards and winemaking heritage and is the result of overflowing enthusiasm, ethics and values. The inheritance left to its owners by their winemaking ancestors, was passion and respect for the land. Located a stone’s throw from the Mediterranean Sea, between Pézenas and Montagnac, Villa Noria produces elegant organic wines, in perfect harmony with nature and the terroir. The winemaking is traditional, without chemical additions and only low doses of sulphur are used. Their natural ranges ‘Amfòra’ and ‘Basic Instinct’ are vinified without the addition of sulphur.
