Colour: Light straw yellow with a green tint.
Bouquet: Subtle vanilla aromas with hints of tropical fruit and lime make for a lively and exciting nose.
Taste: This is a creamy, mouth-filling Chardonnay with more fruit than wood. It shows refreshing tropical fruit enhanced by an enjoyable spicy finish that lingers.
A fruit driven Chardonnay, this wine will complement seafood and white meat in creamy sauces. Creamy salads infused with tarragon will love this wine.
variety : Chardonnay [ 100% Chardonnay ]
winemaker : Lauren Snyman
wine of origin : Simonsberg-Stellenbosch
analysis : alc : 13.34 % vol rs : 1.3 g/l pH : 3.52 ta : 5.5 g/l
type : White style : Dry taste : Fruity wooded
pack : Bottle size : 750ml closure : Screwcap
in the vineyard : Background
This 163-hectare estate with the optimistic name of Le Bonheur ("Happiness") is situated along the slopes of Klapmuts Hill of the Simonsberg Mountain, in the Stellenbosch Wine of Origin district. Klapmuts is the old Dutch word for the 18th century cocked hat that folded away into the saddle back pocket, and indeed, when observed from a distance, the hill resembles such a hat.
Le Bonheur was an important venue for travelers in the Cape, offering fresh spring water and an outspan area at the major junction of Cape Town, Paarl, Stellenbosch and Malmesbury. Today Le Bonheur draws wine lovers who are content to sip fine quality wines and enjoy the seemingly timeless atmosphere of the estate.
The vineyards
The grapes were sourced from several vineyards on the estate, situated some 220m to 250m above sea level. The majority of the vines were planted in 1983 with some 20% in 1994. Around 50% are bush vines, the others trellised onto a three-wire fence system.
The vines, which grow in a range of soils, from sandy to limestone and decomposed granite, were irrigated using an overhead sprinkling system to compensate for the very dry conditions prior to the mid-February harvest. The average yield was 6 tons per hectare.
in the cellar : No skin-contact occurred after crushing. Each vineyard was individually vinified. Forty percent of the blend was barrel-fermented in a combination of Allier and Nevers small oak, with the balance (60%) fermented in stainless steel tanks at between 15° - 16°C.
After four months of lying on the lees, the wine was lightly filtered and bottled.