Le Bonheur Chardonnay 2000

Greenish medium-straw colour. Powerful citrus and mango aromas with spicy vanilla-oak undertones. The nose is open and literally filled with spice and cream. In spite of its fleshy character, the wine remains poised with all its attributes well-integrated. The palate is firm and intense, with fresh lime acidity and toasty flavours. It tumbles with maple, nuts, pineapple, melon and creamy vanilla flavours, and is a chardonnay winner from start to finish. Serve with roast pork and crackling, veal cutlets braised in the 2000 Chardonnay with some tarragon, or pair with shellfish, fish baked in a creamy mushroom sauce, mussels marinara, stuffed chicken, an avocado mousse, and deep-fried calamari. Delicious when served with a rich crab or shrimp salad, or on its own. Serve chilled at 12–14ºC, taking care not to over chill and inhibit the powerful Chardonnay fruit.


variety : Chardonnay [ Chardonnay ]
winemaker : Sakkie Kotzé
wine of origin : Stellenbosch
analysis : alc : 13.49 % vol  rs : 2.1 g/l  pH : 3.21  ta : 6.4 g/l  
pack : Bottle  closure : Cork  

ageing : The 2000 Chardonnay is drinking beautifully now, but has so much fruit and structure that it will develop even more complexity when matured for another year or two.

in the vineyard : 100% chardonnay from east to northeast facing vines grown on the estate between 200 and 300 metres above sea level. Although cultivated under dryland conditions, the vines which were between 14 and 22 years old at the time of harvesting, were lightly irrigated using an overhead sprinkler system to avoid undue water stress.

about the harvest: The grapes were picked from January to March at an average Balling of 23 degrees. The yield was a low 7 tonnes per hectare.

in the cellar : They were brought to the cellar in small 20 kilogram baskets within an hour of picking, crushed and immediately cooled down to 14º Celsius, spending just four hours on the skins. After yeast inoculation, 60% of the juice was fermented in stainless-steel tanks for between 16 to 20 days at 13º Celsius. The balance received a different treatment by fermenting the juice in new French oak barriques for 7 days at 20º Celsius. After 4 months in wood and on its lees, the wine was lightly filtered, blended and bottled.

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