Haut-Blanville, Pays d’Oc IGP (Languedoc, France) Chardonnay 2018

 This soft and serene Chardonnay is an easy sipping wine that offers fruit (baked apple, apricot, orange zest) and light floral nuances as well as delicate suggestions of cinnamon and other sweet baking spice.  The addition of 5% Roussanne to the blend subtly broadens the contour of both texture and flavor.  The Chardonnay was formed in stainless steel tanks while the Roussanne was fully fermented in lightly toasted French barrels and aged a month on its lees.  Haut-Blanville does not use commercial fertilizers or herbicides, relying instead on small doses of copper and sulfur.