Op die Berg Chardonnay

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Handpicked at the break of dawn, carefully selected grapes are destemmed, crushed and lightly pressed at De Grendel with a recovery of only 650 litres per ton. After two days of settling, the juice is inoculated and transferred to 225 litre French and Austrian Oak barrels for fermentation, with 33% in new oak barrels and the remainder in seasoned barrels.

The 2025 vintage featured a late winter with adequate chill, followed by a cool, dry summer that promoted even ripening. Cooler August nights and minimal rain from February to March favoured grape health and flavour. Harvest was slightly later than 2024, yielding fruit with optimal sugars and balanced acidity. The result: brilliant colour, refined tannins, vibrant whites, and poised reds with moderate alcohol. Situated high on the Witzenberg Mountain range in Ceres at 960 metres above sea level, the vineyards are planted on well-drained, soft yellow shale soils. This unique site experiences South Africa’s only truly continental climate, with winter temperatures often dropping below freezing and snowfall providing ideal conditions for vine dormancy and recovery. During the growing season, warm days and cool nights slow ripening, resulting in more concentrated fruit with distinctive cool-climate characteristics compared to other Western Cape regions.

The wine is barrel aged ‘sur lie’ for 8 months whilst undergoing ‘bâtonnage’. Bâtonnage is the method of stirring up the lees and takes place once a week before malolactic fermentation and once a month after malolactic fermentation to enhance the mouth feel and structure of the wine.