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Buy any 12 bottles and save 10% (excludes wines on offer). Free UK delivery on orders over £100. Tel: 02922 337454
Buy any 12 bottles and save 10% (excludes wines on offer). Free UK delivery on orders over £100. Tel: 02922 337454

2018 Chardonnay, Benevolent Neglect

Mendocino County, California, United States

Carmel Cut

Benevolent Neglect’s 2018 Chardonnay is California Chardonnay with its volume turned down and its mineral line turned right up. Sourced from Massa Organic Estate in Carmel Valley, it opens with yuzu, lemon peel, mandarin blossom, chamomile, white peach and a subtle oyster-shell edge. It has the sunshine of California, but the intention is far more Chablis than buttercream.

On the palate, it is bright, direct and mouth-watering, with citrus, nectarine, white pepper and limestone-like freshness running through the finish. There is texture, certainly, but it is kept clean and energetic, with minimal oak influence allowing the vineyard to show. A brilliant bottle for anyone who wants Chardonnay with precision, lift and a little Californian mischief.

For when
A white Burgundy mood wants a West Coast detour.

Pairs with
Oysters, crab, scallops, roast chicken, grilled sea bass, soft cheeses, lemon risotto, cured ham or mushroom tart.

Benevolent Neglect is the cult California project of Matt Nagy and Ben Brenner, built on the idea that great vineyards do not need heavy-handed winemaking. This Chardonnay comes from Massa Organic Estate in Carmel Valley, a remarkable organic site with own-rooted Chardonnay vines and a history stretching back to the late 1960s. The result is a wine that feels both rare and refreshingly direct: small-production California Chardonnay with clarity, energy and serious site character

Whats in the bottle
100% Chardonnay

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£29.95
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£29.95
£18.50
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£18.50
Availability:
Only 1 left!

Benevolent Neglect was founded in 2013 by East Coast transplants Matt Nagy and Ben Brenner, and has become one of California’s most characterful small-production labels. The name neatly sums up the philosophy: find exceptional fruit, then interfere as little as possible. Matt’s pedigree gives the project serious credibility, with experience alongside major Napa names including Thomas Rivers Brown and Steve Matthiasson, as well as work at high-end Cabernet estates before turning his attention to this more personal, exploratory range.

The wines are sourced from distinctive sites across California, from Mendocino to Carmel, often focusing on vineyards and varieties that feel a little outside the mainstream. Benevolent Neglect is not trying to make polished, predictable California wine. It is built around personality, freshness and vineyard expression, with limited releases that have found an enthusiastic following among sommeliers, collectors and curious drinkers. The style is transparent, energetic and quietly rebellious, making the wines feel both serious and refreshingly unpretentious

The 2018 Chardonnay comes from Massa Organic Estate in Carmel Valley, a vineyard first planted in 1968 with varieties including Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc. Benevolent Neglect became involved during the rehabilitation of the estate after its 2018 purchase, working with own-rooted Chardonnay vines from this organically farmed site deep in Carmel Valley.

The winemaking follows the house approach: native yeast fermentation, minimal intervention and very little new oak. Matt Nagy’s aim for this wine was to step away from the rich, heavily oaked Californian Chardonnay template and move towards something closer in feel to cru Chablis, with purity, citrus tension and mineral drive. The wine was aged with only a minimal amount of new oak, allowing notes of yuzu, citrus blossom, white peach, oyster shell and limestone-like freshness to sit at the centre of the wine. It is a precise, bright and deliberately restrained expression of California Chardonnay.