In the glass, the wine presents with an inviting yellow colour. The nose is exceptionally floral, with an abundance of guava, honeydew melon, passion fruit and honeycomb. Intense aromas of apricot, white peach and pear follow through on the palate, with an underlying note of toasted almonds. Balanced and well-structured acidity along with a hint of buttery texture from the oak combines into a long and pleasant finish.
variety : Chardonnay [ 100% Chardonnay ]
winemaker : Nic Van Aarde
wine of origin : Stellenbosch
analysis : alc : 13.5 % vol rs : 1.4 g/l pH : 3.47 ta : 6.8 g/l
type : White style : Dry body : Full taste : Fragrant wooded
pack : Bottle size : 750ml closure : Screwcap
in the vineyard : While winter had a late start, it was characterized by good rainfall, leading to an even bud break. A turbulent start to flowering season improved towards the onset of summer. Warmer weather in November contributed to even vineyard growth. A moderate January and February was followed by an initially hot February, while cool and wet conditions dominated from the end of February through March, creating challenging harvest conditions. Despite the wetter than ideal conditions, our microclimate allowed the grapes to achieve ideal ripeness.
in the cellar : Grapes were hand-picked from two blocks – one planted on darker, alluvial soil and the other on rocky, sandstone soils. The wines are between 12 and 15 years old. Picking was complete in the morning, and grapes were cooled overnight in a cold room, at 8°C. Whole bunch pressing was completed the following morning, and juice was allowed to settle overnight, then racked to barrels for spontaneous fermentation. The wine spent 10 months on the lees, and barrels were rolled once a week to stir the lees. After 10 months in oak, the wine was racked to tank, fined and
filtered. Fermentation and maturation was completed in a combination of 228L and 300L French oak barrels – one third of which was new oak.
Maturation: 10 months in 225 and 300l French oak barrels
Production: 8 450 bottles