Chardonnay

Delicate and fresh with notes of zesty lemon and juicy ripe white peaches. The finish is crisp with lingering voluptuous fruitiness. Enjoy now or cellar for up to 5 years.

This wine is made from the grapes of different regions throughout the Western Cape that are well suited to producing quality Chardonnay. The higher altitude Stellenbosch vineyards that face False Bay contribute texture and fruit, while the Robertson and Bonnievale vineyards generally contribute more minerality owing to the limestone-based soils found in these areas. The 2023/2024 growing season saw a decline in Chardonnay tonnage as in the two preceding vintages. The excellent winter rainfall in 2023 was followed by an extremely dry summer with heavy winds during flowering, influencing fruit set quite heavily on earlier cultivars, resulting in lower yields. The hot and dry summer of 2024 also led to picking dates being 10 to 14 days earlier than usual, but promising great quality due to low disease pressure.

All the vineyard parcels were harvested and vinified separately. Almost all (80%) of the grapes were given 12 to 24 hours extended skin contact before only the free-run juice was transferred to tank for fermentation. The balance (20%) was “Whole Bunch” pressed before fermentation in stainless steel tanks. The wines were fermented at low temperatures with selected yeast strains to highlight each vineyard’s specific characteristics. After fermentation the wine was left for on the lees for three months before final blending and bottling.