Pale golden straw in colour, the nose reveals comforting nuances of butterscotch, cocoanut and vanilla aptly underscored by delicate white pear aromas and hints of star fruit before a soft entry unfurls enticing layers of creamy white peach and apricot flavours on the palate complimented by a creamy vanilla finish that lingers with a flourish of saline minerality.
A definitive food wine that pairs exceptionally well with fish and poultry, particularly if served with cream based sauces - the wine really comes into its own with a meal. Mild, nutty chesses such as Gouda would work wonders as well.
variety : Chardonnay [ 100% Chardonnay ]
winemaker : Charles Hopkins & Elzette du Preez
wine of origin : Ceres
analysis : alc : 13 % vol rs : 1.9 g/l pH : 3.32 ta : 6.3 g/l
type : White style : Dry wooded
pack : Bottle size : 750ml closure : Screwcap
in the vineyard : The family farm, better known in yesteryear for its high quality apples and pears, supports well drained, soft yellow shale soils, which in conjunction with the altitude and continental climate, provide ideal growing conditions for high quality, concentrated Chardonnay grapes, with characteristics unique the appellation.
in the cellar : The grapes were carefully selected grapes are de-stemmed, crushed and lightly pressed at De Grendel with a recovery of only 650 litres per ton. After overnight settling, the juice is inoculated and transferred 2 days later to 225 litre French oak barrels for fermentation, of which 33% are new, 33% are 2nd fill and 33% are 3rd fill. The wine is barrel aged ‘sur lie’, on the fine lees, for 6 months undergoing ‘batonage’, where the lees are stirred up into the wine twice a week before malolactic fermentation begins, and once a month after malolactic fermentation has completed, for the purposes of enhancing mouth feel and structure of the wine.