This Chardonnay is made from grapes grown on high calcareous gravely hills. After fermentaion the wine is matured on the lees in stainless steel tanks for a few months. It is the ideal companion to appetisers, seafood and light meals.
Fresh green apples combined with delicate citrus aromas on the nose follow through on the palate with a long tangy finish of delicious full round ripe peaches, green apples and nutty, citrus flavours.
Best served with white meat and vegetable.
in the vineyard : Danie de Wet present owner and winemaker of De Wetshof Estate, studied viticulture and cellar technology at Geisenheim, the famous German wine institute.
Danie pioneered the noble white varieties of Europe in South Africa and today the estate of 200 Hectares specialises in superior white wines exclusively. Thus De Wetshof, the first registered wine estate in the Robertson region, made South Africa’s first Chardonnay Superior, Sauvignon Blanc and Rhine Riesling Superior. Today Danie specialises in Chardonnay.
Origin: Summer afternoons are fanned by a cool breeze from the Agulhas Coast. Nights are chilly and mist often shrouds the vineyards until late morning during high summer.
Irrigation: The vineyards are scientifically irrigated with the aid of a fully computerised irrigation system. Thanks to the most modern technology, irrigation on De Wetshof has been turned into an asset promoting the quality of the grapes.
Soils: The gravely soils are extremely rich in lime with a 7.8 - 8 Ph.
Rainfall: Robertson is a winter rainfall area with approximately 300mm per annum.
Pest Control: Due to a very dry climate, spraying is minimal compared to other wine growing regions.
Soil Type: Gravel lime
Rootstock: Richter 99, 110, 101-14
Age of the vines: 11 - 18 years
Vines per hectare: 4,000
Trellising style: 6 Wire fence system, cordon with spur pruning
in the cellar : Vinification: This Chardonnay is selected from specific clones. The wine is tank fermented, after which it is left on the lees for a few months, being stirred weekly until bottling.
Wine Making Methods: Danie de Wet adjusts his methods of winemaking from year to year, according to weather conditions and grape quality, in the belief that wine is made in the vineyard and not in the cellar.
Cooper: French oak barrels for De Wetshof are specially selected from specific coopers to enhance the quality of the fruit.
Barrel maturation: None