Kleine Zalze Vineyard Selection Barrel Fermented Chardonnay 2018

Elegant and complex. Limey fruit with perfect oak balance and a mineral finish on the palate.


variety : Chardonnay [ 100% Chardonnay ]
winemaker : RJ Botha
wine of origin : Western Cape
analysis : alc : 13.5 % vol  rs : 4.3 g/l  pH : 3.29  ta : 6.5 g/l  
type : White  style : Dry  body : Full  taste : Fruity   wooded
pack : Bottle  size : 750ml  closure : Cork  

AWARDS
2017 SAWi Wards - Platinum
2019 Michelangelo International Wine & Spirit Awards - Double Gold
2019 Veritas Wine Awards - Gold

ageing : Drink now or cellar for 10 years to taste its real potential.

in the vineyard : After 3 years of drought these vineyards looked amazing and in balance. The grapes came from 3 blocks in Stellenbosch and a single block in Robertson. All the Stellenbosch blocks are dryland whilst Robertson only received one small drip irrigation. Careful canopy management was needed to ensure enough growth to ripen bunches. The canopy was tipped early in the season to initiate side shoot growth to protect the bunches against sun burn. The grape were handpicked early in the morning.

about the harvest: The grape were handpicked early in the morning.
The grapes were harvested between 22° - 24° balling and after crushing the juice was given extended skin contact for at least 12 hours before it was pressed.

in the cellar : The grapes were harvested between 22 - 24°balling and after crushing the juice was given extended skin contact for at least 12 hours before it was pressed. Only the free run portion of the juice was used for this selection. After 1 day of settling the juice was racked to a fermentation vessel where we inoculate with a slow fermenting yeast strain. The juice was racked into barrel 1 day after inoculation and left to ferment at low temperature until dry. The wine spent a total of 8 months in barrel before blending and bottling. A combination of 60% new and the rest second and third fill 400l French oak barrels were used.

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