Crocodile's Lair Chardonnay

Serve with pan-fried May Porcini mushrooms on bruschetta, freshly boiled West Coast Rock Lobster tail dipped in lemon aioli or simply from your favourite Chardonnay glass in good company.

Vintage 2019 will long be remembered for the raging wild fire that swept across the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley on the 11th January – less than three weeks before the first grapes were picked. We were fortunate not to be majorly impacted and brought in a healthy, yet slightly lighter crop. The reduced yield being the result of milder than normal winter temperatures. Weather conditions remained cool and relatively dry throughout February and March.

The final blend is racked from barrel following eight months maturation without any stirring of the lees and bottled with a light filtration.

Harvest is invariably an exciting time awash with smells emanating from every corner of the winery, but few can rival the magical smell of fermenting Chardonnay in oak barrels. Bunches are added to the press intact and the juices extracted from the berries by long and gentle pressing, yielding more clarity and flavour complexities. Fermen- tation happens in oak barrels varying in age between new and fifth fill and typically lasts for a week. Thereafter, depending on vintage needs, a proportion of the barrels are prevented from completing malo-lactic fermentation, thus retaining palate freshness and gaining fruit focus.

One of South Africa’s most awarded boutique wine estates lies in a scenic valley just an hour and a half from Cape Town called Hemel-en-Aarde or Heaven-and-Earth. Framed by great fold mountains and breath-taking ocean views it is one of the coolest wine-making regions in the Cape with duplex soil structures and sun-facing slopes. The promise of the unique terroir is harnessed by winemaker Chris Albrecht in slow-ripened flavour-rich wines of exceptional quality. Bouchard Finlayson is globally acclaimed for producing the best Pinot Noir in South Africa as well as exceptional Chardonnays and Sauvignon Blancs. The vineyards are surrounded by an indigenous floral conservancy alive with birdsong and wildflowers. Beyond the beauty of the farm itself you can discover the enchantments of the local area. Some of the popular attractions of nearby Hermanus include whale-watching; shark-cage diving; mountain hiking or biking; browsing art antiques and shops; and of course the white sandy beaches.