Vondeling Chardonnay 2010

The wine is bottle matured for at least seven months before being labeled and released. This practice enhances a creamy, honey-like bottle bouquet. This Chardonnay has a wonderfully inviting nose with loads of ripe peaches, juicy pears and complimented by zesty citrus and a fresh minerality. The fore palate is full without being flabby. A fresh acidity and plenty of classical lemon flavours are perfectly balanced by contemporary characteristics of peach blossoms and vanilla. The oak is moderate and well balanced. The mid-palate is very smooth, slightly creamy, but still reserved. It is a classy wine with a high degree of finesse and a superbly long finish.

Enjoy with grilled, Moroccan-style chicken or a creamy Alfredo pasta. It will complement most fish dishes and is particularly well suited to roasted vegetables or nuts.

variety : Chardonnay [ 100% Chardonnay ]

winery : Vondeling Wines

winemaker : Matthew Copeland

wine of origin :

analysis : alc : 13.5 % vol rs : 4.8 g/l pH : 3.29 ta : 6.1 g/l

type : White

pack : Bottle closure : Cork

ageing : This wine will improve with age and endure for many years to come.

in the vineyard : The Chardonnay grapes for this wine are hand picked from a small, tree-lined vineyard, hidden in the upper valley of our farm. This cool South-facing vineyard receives direct sunlight early in the morning but falls in the shadow of the mountain by late afternoon. An occurrence, which allows us to remove the leaves in the bunch zone and to expose the bunches to direct sunlight. Direct sunlight in the cool of the morning promotes a ripe flavour profile without the risk of sunburn. Yields are low and the soil is comprised exclusively of weathered granite.

about the harvest: All grapes are picked at optimum ripeness, (normally about 24°B) in the early hours of the morning. They are then packed into a cold room to be chilled further and processed the following day.

in the cellar : The bunches are destemmed but not crushed before being pressed as whole berries. This action reduces the absorption of coarse phenolics and helps retain more of the grape’s natural acidity. This clear juice is then transferred to 500-litre French oak barrels for fermentation, where spontaneous fermentation by wild yeast is encouraged, ie NO commercial yeast culture is added. Although a nerve-racking process, this method promotes complexity in the wine.

The Chardonnay is matured on the yeast lees for 7 months and a high degree of malolactic fermentation occurs spontaneously. This malolactic fermentation promotes rich, buttery flavours. After this period the wine is racked from its yeast lees and blended homogenously to tank, where it can be adjusted, before being returned to barrel for a final 4 months. The wine spends a total of 11 months in oak before being bottled in January.

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