De Wetshof The Site Chardonnay 2010

"The exceptional 2009 vintage definitely brought the characteristics of the specific clone and soil to the fore," says De Wet. "Classical citrus and nutty flavours abound as a result of the limestone, while the clay soil component adds complexity."

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variety : Chardonnay [ 100% Chardonnay ]

winery : De Wetshof Estate

winemaker : Peter de Wet

wine of origin : Western Cape

analysis : alc : 14.0 % vol rs : 2.9 g/l pH : 3.3 ta : 6.8 g/l va : 0.63 g/l so2 : 104 mg/l fso2 : 34 mg/l

type : White style : Dry wooded

pack : Bottle size : 750ml closure : Cork

in the vineyard : The Site Chardonnay is produced from a vineyard planted in 1987, the only vineyard in South Africa that produces wine from the classic 119 Burgundian clone developed by the University of Burgundy in Dijon.

Although the 119 clone heralds from the greatest white wine region on earth - Burgundy - it has shown an affinity for our region's soil types.

The vineyard is planted on a former wheat-field in limestone-rich soils supported by a clay component. The water retention capabilities are quite extraordinary. Situated at 180m above sea-level and facing north-east, the vineyard is in the face of the funnel through which the cool south-east breeze is blown into the Robertson valley allowing the fruit a lot of brisk fresh air and bright sunshine during the growing stage.

about the harvest: The grapes were hand harvested in February and the vineyard yields between eight to 12 tons per hectare.

in the cellar : After hand-harvesting and crushing, the grapes were left on the skins for three days to give the juice ultimate complexity from total grape component.

Fermentation and maturation was done in first and second-fill French barrels, with batonage performed weekly for the first three months and every two weeks thereafter. The wine was racked after 10 months and a further eight months bottle maturation allowed the wine to gain further complexity.

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