La Motte Chardonnay 2017

Greeny straw colour. Fruity lemon and nectarine on the nose, with hints of cashew and lees as the only evidence of wood maturation. A juicy and polished entry, medium full with lots of citrus and juicy peach on the palate. Lively length with good freshness for a wood-matured wine.

Excellent with caviar, snails, carpaccio pâté, crayfish (Cape rock-lobster), prawns, mussels, perlemoen (abalone) and creamy cheese.

variety : Chardonnay [ 100% Chardonnay ]
winery : La Motte
winemaker : Edmund Terblanche
wine of origin : Franschhoek
analysis : alc : 12.82 % vol  rs : 1.8 g/l  pH : 3.44  ta : 6.1 g/l  
type : White  style : Dry  body : Full  taste : Fruity   wooded
pack : Bottle  size : 0  closure : Screwcap  

AWARDS
2017 SAWi Awards - Grand Gold
Chardonnay du Monde 2017 - Silver medal
in the vineyard : ORIGIN
Grapes originate from La Motte at Franschhoek. The vineyard grows against a southern and south-western slope 200 metres above sea level.

VINTAGE
The preceding winter was cold enough for good budding, but in many places only 33% of the normal rainfall was received. Initially, growth and bunch-forming were good and indicated a promising harvest. As a result of heat-waves in October and January and abnormally many days with temperatures over 35 degrees Celsius during summer the harvest was substantially smaller than expected. Irrigation water was also very limited. Harvesting was 10 to 14 days earlier than normal and the total acid was lower and pH higher as a result of the heat.

VITICULTURE
Vineyard blocks: 6 (4,9 ha)
Soil type: Clovelly
Direction planted: North-South
Density: 4 630 vines per hectare
(2,7 x 0,8)
Rootstock: Richter 99
Clone: CY 3
Year planted: 1997
Trellising: Perold
Irrigation: Drip
The vineyard is managed to maintain a perfect balance between leaf coverage and yield. It is managed organically and is SGS-certified.

about the harvest: Vineyard blocks: 6 (4,9 ha) Soil type: Clovelly Direction planted: North-South Density: 4 630 vines per hectare (2,7 x 0,8) Root stock: Richter 99 Clone: CY 3 Year planted: 1997 Trellising: Perold Irrigation: Drip The vineyard is managed to maintain a perfect balance between leaf coverage and yield. It is managed biologically.

in the cellar : All bunches were whole-pressed and the juice received a reasonable measure of oxidative treatment. The clean juice was transferred to 300-litre French oak barrels where it was inoculated with yeast and fermented at between 17 and 20 degrees Celsius. Malolactic fermentation was also in the barrels. One third of the juice was fermented in stainless steel tanks, without malolactic fermentation. After fermentation the lees was stirred regularly over a period of eleven months. 25% of the French oak barrels in which the wine was matured were new. All the components were blended subsequent to maturation and the wine was bottled in the La Motte cellar.

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