2018 Planeta Chardonnay Chardonnay Sicilia Menfi DOC

• "One of Sicily's Most Famous White Wines" ~Decanter
  
• Awarded "Winemaker of the Year" in 2023 by Wine Enthusiast
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About the Wine

Planeta is one of the most iconic, and well known producers in Sicily. Fun fact? The winery was even featured in the critically acclaimed TV Show The White Lotus.

Alessio Planeta, head of Planeta, has been named "Winemaker of the Year" worldwide by the prestigious Wine Enthusiast magazine through their "Wine Star Awards" in 2023. 

The family history of this Sicilian Estate goes back for more than 5 centuries, where in such a closed and traditional culture, the Planeta family is not afraid to innovate and modernize. Diego Planeta along with other top-notch wine consultants from Italy like Giacomo Tachis, Carlo Corino, Giampaolo Fabris, and Attilio Scienza, have managed to position Planeta as the reference point in Sicilian and Italian winemaking. Discover what makes Planeta one of Sicily's leading producers!

Their vineyards are distributed throughout 5 different regions around Sicily: Menfi, Etna, Vittoria, Noto, and Capo Milazzo, resulting in an incredibly interesting wine portfolio: Different soils, different climates, different grapes, different (and incredible) wines! And if that wasn't enough, the family also owns a hotel and a restaurant in Menfi and Palermo.

For Planeta, sustainability is of the utmost importance, winemaking practices and viticulture are done in accordance with the environment and society. Baronia is considered a symbol of the sustainable viticulture of Planeta’s Winery.

Aging: Fermented and aged in French oak, 40% new, for a minimum of 12 months.

Tasting Notes

 100% Chardonnay. 

Critical Reviews

Rich with Sicilian puff pastry and cannoli crust, the 2018 Sicilia Menfi Chardonnay is an elaborate and full-bodied expression of this important white grape. The wine drives home a lasting impression of volume and opulence thanks to stone fruit, vanilla cream and baked bread. That touch of acidity is just enough to keep the wine light and jazzy in terms of mouthfeel. I also get that sweetness from Sicilian blood orange juice when it's freshly squeezed. ~94 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate

Lovely nose of ripe apricot and mango with cream and croissant. It’s full-bodied and creamy, yet with good acidity and smoky minerality. Focused minerals and flint on the finish. This is a refined and focused chardonnay. Drink or hold. ~93 James Suckling

Which specifies and authenticates the sensorial matrix of a Chardonnay that is graceful and complex at the same time. The hints of yellow peaches blend with notes of apricots, dates, hay, barley malt and bread crust. The background is full of energy in the intense quality of the notes of orange blossom and cedar. Medium-full body, austere and vibrant on the palate showing a progression of natural beauty. Delicious can now age for a few years in the cellar without any problem. ~93 WinesCritic.com

This Chardonnay opens with aromas of ripe yellow apple, coconut and pineapple. The firm palate offers vanilla, toasted oak and hazelnut alongside fresh acidity.  ~90 Wine Enthusiast

A fresh, lovely white, medium-bodied and well-knit, with a backbone of fine china-like acidity enlivening the plush notes of Jonagold apple, crushed hazelnut, lemon curd and poached apricot. Finely detailed on the lingering, spiced finish. Drink now through 2026. 15,000 cases made, 2,500 cases imported. ~90 Wine Spectator

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