Benefizio – Pomino Bianco, DOC

The Benefizio, Pomino Bianco DOC is the product of the Chardonnay grape variety, from the estate’s vineyard. 

Fermented and matured in oak barriques for eight months and refined in the bottle for a further year, it demonstrates a luminous color of yellow with glares of amber. Both the nose and palate experience an intense, complex taste with persistent lingering.

As for tasting notes, this wine has lustrous, confident, pale gold in appearance, with shimmering highlights. A complex suite of aromatics marks the nose, showing vanilla. It is judiciously matched with well-ripened fruit, such as peach and banana, backed by a laurel-like herbal pungency that hints of Mediterranean scrubland. 

The entry is heady and mouth-filling, with a lovely vein of acidity balancing the alcohol and enlivening the palate’s considerable weight. It unfurls a long-lingering finish nicely edged with appealing toasty nuances.

Food pairing suggestions for Benefizio – Pomino Bianco, DOC wine varieties begin with any fish and continues with veal or poultry. Or serve with a liver terrine (served a tad warmer than usual), ravioli with vegetables, seafood, or roast saddle of rabbit.

sweet wine isolated on white background

History of Chardonnay

The history of Chardonnay in Tuscany started when the grape variety was introduced to Castello di Pomino’s vineyards in 1855.

In 1878, the Estate had received the gold medal at the Paris Expo for the best texture and quality of its wines.

At a vineyard located 700 meters above sea level, Benefizio was born in 1973. This is the first white wine in Italy to be fermented in barriques, according to Dunell’s Wine. 

Benefizio got the name “Riserva”, or “Reserve” in 2005.

On the other hand, the Pomino Bianco Riserva Benefizio di Frescobaldi has 100 percent Chardonnay grapes. It is selected and harvested completely by hand.

“It has a bright yellow color with golden reflections. The nose opens with characteristic citrus scents typical of the variety, followed by elegant spicy notes of vanilla and cinnamon. On the palate it is pleasantly fresh, with hints of white flowers and toasted that accompany towards a creamy finish of white chocolate,” according to a Vino article.

This type of wine is perfect when consumed with fish creams, vegetables, and caviar!

White wine with grapes on a barrel

Some interesting and fun facts about the Chardonnay grape

  1. Chardonnay wine is an undisputed queen of Burgundy.
  2. Chardonnay is one of the varieties to make a bottle of champagne.
  3. Chardonnay is more glamorous than the Hollywood movie stars of the ‘50s.
  4. Some of the most expensive wines in the world are made with the Chardonnay grape.
  5. Chardonnay grape is regarded as the most widely planted white grape variety in the world.
  6. Chardonnay grape variety grows fast and does not give much hassle.
  7. Chardonnay is adaptive to different terrain, climate, and region.
  8. Wine drinkers who love Chardonnay wine can also try Pinot Grigio.
  9. Some expensive wines such as Krug Clos du Mesnil, Marcassin Chardonnay, and Montrachet de Domaine de la Romanée Conti are made with Chardonnay grapes.
  10. Chardonnay is a versatile grape variety.
  11. Chardonnay can have different expressions and textures depending on the climate and the soil in which it is planted.
  12. In the cold weather region of Chablis, Chardonnay grape has delicate and deep wines. 
  13. In the hot climate area of California, USA, Chardonnay produces more volume and body.
  14. Chardonnay wine gives a variety of aromas, including apple, citrus, and stone fruit. 
  15. The malolactic fermentation in Chardonnay gives notes of butter, nuts, and cream.
  16. If Chardonnay is aged in wood, it will also give off cereals, nuts, and baked bread notes.
  17. Chardonnay is a green-skinned grape variety.
  18. Wine from Chardonnay grape is highly valued because it adapts to different dishes and cooking styles.
  19. Funny but true, the Chardonnay grape has no synonyms. 
  20. Chardonnay’s name doesn’t change a lot wherever it is planted. 
  21. Many of the best Chardonnay wines are aged in oak for 6 to 12 months, with batonnage and malolactic fermentation in it. 
  22. Chardonnay is also adapted to the climate in Spain.
  23. Chardonnay’s variety comes from Burgundy, in the eastern part of France. 
  24. Burgundy is known as the best place for growing Chardonnay in the world.
  25. Burgundy is planted with many grape wine varieties.
  26. Other popular places for cultivating Chardonnay are California, Australia, Spain, England, Lombardy, South Africa, and New Zealand.
  27. The other types of chardonnay made in the world are fruity, acidic, creamy, and full-bodied.
  28. There wasn’t very much Chardonnay planted in California, USA, in the 1940s.
  29. Chardonnay vineyards are planted on more than 100,000 acres in the USA alone.
  30. Chardonnay achieved its greatness and reputation in the Burgundy region of France more than 1,200 years ago.
  31. Around 800 A.D., the wife of Emperor Charlemagne ordered that white grapes be planted in their Burgundy vineyard after a red wine stained her husband’s white beard.
  32. A Chardonnay vintage appeared during the popular “Judgment of Paris” tasting of 1976.
  33. Chardonnay is the best-selling wine in the United States.

Chardonnay sign on post with grapevines in vineyard

  1. Americans drink more than 840,000 bottles of Chardonnay per year.
  2. Burgundy has adapted with good results of Chardonnay variety in very different climates.
  3. Chardonnay is the preferred type for the production of dry white wines.
  4. Chardonnay’s characteristics vary from rich, thick, lighter, and fresher wines.
  5. Chardonnay wine is long in the mouth and has no aggressive or complex acidity when consumed.
  6. Other flavors of Chardonnay wines include pears, melon, honey, minerals, wax, and caramel.
  7. Chablis is a district in the Burgundy, France, that produces crisp, unoaked wines made from Chardonnay grapes. 
  8. Chardonnay is an early ripening grape variety.
  9. You can buy bottles of Chardonnay at very low cost and others valued in the hundreds of dollars.
  10. In the United States, there is such thing as “smoked chardonnay”. This process includes bringing these wines to aging in wood so that they can obtain aromas and a more complex texture.
  11. Some Chardonnay-made wines have flavors like pastries, butter, spices, and nuts.
  12. The Chardonnay grape produces unique and excellent wines.
  13. Chardonnay is known for its medium acidity and relatively high alcohol content.