This Chardonnay was created with a more “mellow†approach in mind. With its pale straw hue combining with a fresh green tint, even the colour is enticing. Its complexities on both the nose and palate give hints of oaky vanilla, some butterscotch and fresh toast with an underlying tone of lime and stewed fruit The finish is soft and elegant, although certainly not restrained. Serve slightly chilled at around 14º Celsius, this wine is a great accompaniment to richer seafoods with creamy sauces, roast pork or lightly smoked poultry.
in the vineyard : The “Stellenbosch†range of wines result from the careful selection and blending of grapes and wines worthy of the appellation – Stellenbosch. Quality grapes from various sites around this University Town are carefully selected for their individual traits and blended together to culminate in wines which portray the character and complexities of the region and its people. As a result of masterly blending, these wines result in a confluence of tastes in which the sum is greater than each of the individual parts.
The sites on which the selected grapes were grown vary from cool, south-facing slopes to warmer, north-west slopes and vary in altitude from the warmer, low-lying plains to the cool, elevated slopes of the Helderberg and Simonsberg Mountains. All the vines are trellised and are grown predominantly in soils of decomposed granite, although some Table Mountain sandstone and shale are also found on a number of the slopes. The vines are all grafted onto nematode-resistant rootstocks and are pruned and trained in such a style as to reduce the yield and thus optimize the quality of the fruit from which the wine is produced.
in the cellar : After destalking and crushing, the juice was immediately separated from the skins. Pure yeast cultures were inoculated into the juice in order to optimize the fermentation process at around 16ºC, which lasted between 13 and 16 days. A combination of French- and American oak was used during fermentation to enhance the fullness and character of the variety and to add an extra dimension to the wine’s complexity. After extended lees contact of three weeks, the wine was allowed to naturally clarify itself under gravity for approximately three months prior to being blended, filtered and bottled.