Gagliasso Chardonnay 2015

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An elegant and complex wine from the village of La Morra in the Piedmont region, crafted by the Gagliasso family.
Intense aromas of yellow fruits, butter and vanilla notes. Full-bodied,concentrated, rich texture and a good length.

The vineyard is located in La Morra. It has a southWest sun exposure and the average age of the vines is 20 years old. 
The vines are planted with a density of 5000 vineplant per hectares (2000 vineplants per acre). 
The soil is a mix of clay and limestone. 
Pruning technique is single Guyot with 8 to 10 buds per shoot.
They also use the technique of green harvest, lowering the yield by around 30% and increasing the quality of the grapes.

Upon harvest, the grapes are kept in a cold storage for a few days at 1-2 °C, then it is gently crushed into stainless steel tanks with temperature control where it begins to soak for 24-36 hours; it then proceeds to the racking and after cold decantation the must is put in French oak barrels, up to 15% new wood, for fermentation.

After fermentation the wine begins its period of aging on lees with the practice of lees stirring for at least 6-8 months where the wine is never poured. After 9-10 months the wine blended in stainless steel vats is bottled and aged for 6 months.

The Gagliasso Estate
The Azienda Agricola Mario Gagliasso is located in the town of La Morra, south of Piedmont, in the province of Cuneo, in the Langhe area.
The winery offers one of the most beautiful views over the Langhe area.
La Morra is located at 513 meters above sea-level, 13 km from Alba, on the top of an imposing hill with the Alps and the Monviso as a background. The hill is planted with vines, for ming huge waves and creating an amphitheatre of rare beauty.

Luca Gagliasso’s family has a long history of winemaking. Luca's grandfather began 50 years ago, at which time he bottled the first Barolo from their historic vineyard, Rocche dell'Annunziata. Around 1987, Lucas's father took over the family tradition of producing wine and brought forth a few changes: he started by using barriques from France, together with large barrels and temperature controlled steel vats. He also purchased a new vineyard. Luca began working with his father during the 2000 vintage, only part time for the first 3 years. He also worked for 3 years with their wine consultant in an analysis laboratory, and worked as a consultant for other wineries.

Luca now works alongside his father, mother, and sister on their 12 hectares of vineyards. On the weekends, Luca's sister and mother work in their restaurant as cooks – only the Gagliasso wines are served. They are currently extending their facility and in the future they plan to incorporate some guest rooms to the restaurant.
The Gagliasso family produces around 60,000 bottles: 40% Barolo, 30% Barbera, 20% Dolcetto and 10% Chardonnay. They have around 250 barriques and 6 large barrels.
Dolcetto is very fruity, aged for a small period in big cask. They produce 3 Barolos and 2 Barberas, one aged 18 months in new oak and the other one only in steel vats. They age the Barolo for 18 months in new barriques, then 12 months in a large cask. Chardonnay is cold macerated, then fermented and aged in French oak for 9 months.