This French grapevine is originally from Bordeaux.
Its name seems to have come from a small community of Macconais called Chardonnay.
The name comes from the word Cardonnacum, which means 'this place is full of thistles'.
Thanks to this variety of grape the entire world is able to produce great white wines and excellent bases for sparkling wines, like those produced in Champagne, France, where it is blended with the must of Pinot Nero.
Still wines made from this grape have great finenesse, with an immediately recognizable bouquet that is much appreciated for its fragrant fruit notes.
The characteristics of Chardonnay make it a good wine for barrique ageing. Chardonnay grapes are grown everywhere in the world where there is a developed winegrowing tradition such as in California, South Africa, Chile and Australia. It has become, in fact, one of the benchmarks for great white wines.
In Italy, it is used as the main grape for Chardonnay wines, or as a complementary grape in many DOC wines.
In the Rimini area it has proven to produce excellent quality wines. It adapts well to the highly calcareous clay soil that is, in this sense, very similar to the soil of the Champagne area.
