Stellenzicht Golden Triangle Chardonnay 1999

The colour shows the golden straw hues typical of this style of wine, but with a distinct, fresh greenness.
On the nose, fresh tropical fruit aromas are backed up by an underlying butteriness and nuances of toasty oak.
The same tropical flavours are experienced on the palate while hints of lemon and lime provide an elegant, fresh finish. The wine is full and complex and provides well the balance between boastfull power and subtle elegance, ending in a clean, lasting aftertaste. Enjoy at around 14 to 16 Â° Celsius with a cold salad spread with smoked Angelfish or peppered Mackerel. Veal and tender poultry dishes with creamy sauces will compliment the wine well after some bottle maturation.

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variety : Chardonnay [ Chardonnay ]

winery : Stellenzicht Vineyards

winemaker : Guy Webber

wine of origin : Coastal

analysis : alc : 13.08 % vol rs : 2.3 g/l pH : 3.58 ta : 5.3 g/l va : 0.56 g/l so2 : 126 mg/l fso2 : 52 mg/l

pack : Bottle

ageing : The fullness of the wine, combined with its good acid balance, is an indication of good maturation potential. The wine should develop well to an age of up to five years.

in the vineyard : The 1999 vintage was characterized by hot, dry growing conditions. The effect these conditions had on the chardonnay fruit was not as drastic as was expected. In fact, the quality of the fruit was excellent with good intensity of flavours and ripe structure. At ages of between 8 and 11 years old, the vineyards from which the fruit were selected to craft this wine are grown in decomposed granite at altitudes ranging between 180 and 400 metres above sea level. The vines are all grafted onto nematode-resistant Richter 99 and 110 rootstocks and are trellised onto five-wire fence-type trellises. Winter pruning was to two spurs and the vineyards yielded an average of 3.5 tonnes per hectare.

about the harvest: The grapes were hand-picked during the first two weeks of February.

in the cellar : The grapes were destalked and lightly crushed in order to allow the juice to run free. The juice was then slowly drained under gravity before being allowed to settle overnight at a temperature of around 12Â° Celsius. The average sugar content of the grapes at harvest was 24Â°Balling with good acids and pHs of 8 g/l and 3,15 respectively. The clear juice was inoculated with the pure, WE14 yeast strain and allowed to begin fermentation in stainless steel. After 5Â° Balling had fermented out, the must was transferred to a combination of new- and second-fill barriques in which the alcoholic fermentation was completed. Malolactic fermentation was then induced and followed through to completion in order to add complexity and provide stability to the wine. With regular bÃ¢tonnage, the wine was then matured on its primary fermentation lees for nine months before being readied for the bottle.
Barrels used in the maturation of the wine were as follows:
80% new 225 litre barrels of which 90% were French oak and 10% American White Oak and 20% second-fill 225 litre barrels of which 72% were French oak and the remaining 28% American.

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