Chardonnay

Please note: Award stickers are applied at the producer's discretion and may not be present on all bottles.

After gentle pressing and cold settling, the majority of the wine is gravity-fed into small French oak barrels (228 - 300L) of which 47% is new barrels and left to start natural (wild yeast) fermentation. Barrel selection is based on 10 years of experience working the same grapes from the same block. Completing fermentation can take from 3 weeks to 3 months for individual barrels.

The grapes used to make this wine are all from the same block, called Annabelle after our eldest daughter. This sandy loam block is located on the coldest site of the farm; assuring us of winter frost every winter and thus providing the Chardonnay vines with the required cold units to bud uniformly year after year. The vines are not irrigated throughout the ripening season, forcing them to dig their roots deeper in search of water. The oldest portion (clone 3) was planted in 2005 and forms the backbone of our Chardonnay. The newer planting (clone 95) was only planted in 2011 and adds complexity. Through the use of NDVI photography and satellite images, we have split the block into 4 units that are picked on different days in order to get full ripeness for the respective vigour zones. These zones are managed individually and will be subjected to varying degrees and methods of leaf plucking, tipping, topping and green harvesting. Through our sustainable practices of enhancing soil health (e.g. packing the pruning canes under the vines, use of cover crops & introducing microbial life) we are able to farm without herbicides or inorganic fertilisers. This results in healthier vines, fully ripe grapes at lower sugar levels and wines with less residues and lower alcohol levels.

After fermentation, the wine undergoes lees contact for an average of 10 months on the gross lees without bâtonnage. Newer barrels are left longer (11 months) to achieve full integration while older barrels are emptied at 8-9 months to retain freshness. All batches & barrel treatments are kept separately. Each barrel gets assessed individually for its suitability in our Almenkerk range.