Tenuta Mazzolino Camara Chardonnay

Tenuta Mazzolino Camara Chardonnay is a steel-fermented expression from Oltrepò Pavese, the Lombardy region that sits at the convergence of Piedmont, Emilia-Romagna, and the Po River plain. Vinified entirely in stainless steel rather than oak, the wine foregrounds the varietal's aromatic precision — a style more common in northern Italian white winemaking than the broader-shouldered Chardonnays of warmer climates. The result is a wine that reads as Chardonnay but speaks the dialect of alpine terroir and cool-climate acidity. Tenuta Mazzolino farms estate vineyards in the hills south of Pavia, where clay and limestone soils and diurnal temperature swings preserve acidity in white grapes. The Camara bottling is named for the family's historic cellar, and the winemaking is minimal-intervention: native-yeast fermentation in temperature-controlled steel tanks, no malolactic conversion, no batonnage. The goal is transparency — letting the fruit and the limestone underneath do the talking. Oltrepò Pavese has been a Chardonnay stronghold since the varietal arrived in Italy in the nineteenth century, and Mazzolino's interpretation honors that legacy without the butter or vanilla that wood aging typically imparts. The aromatics lean herbal and citrus — sage, lemongrass, grapefruit pith, and golden apple — with a fermentative lift that suggests ripe fruit arrested before it turns tropical. On the palate the wine is taut and linear, with the bright acidity of young Chardonnay cutting through the stone-fruit core and giving the finish length and snap. It drinks clean and fresh, with none of the weight or richness of barrel aging. Pair it with grilled branzino, roasted chicken with herbs, or a simple risotto alla milanese — the acidity will cut through butter and reset the palate between bites. This is a wine for summer evenings on a back porch or weeknight dinners that deserve more than bulk Pinot Grigio. Available for pickup at our Lincoln Park bottle shop at 1128 W Armitage Ave, local Chicago delivery, or nationwide shipping.