Estate Reserve Chardonnay

Veal, chicken, lobster and crab.

Winter was warmer and drier than usual and continued into a warm and dry Spring, leading to earlier budbreak. Moderate and dry conditions prevailed until two days of thunderstorms in the first week of December resulted in 120mm of rainfall. The late, unseasonal rain and thunderstorms caused a massive surge in vegetative growth, necessitating additional canopy management. This late surge in growth slowed veraison and ripening, leading to a later start to harvest. Moderate, dry conditions throughout January and February provided ideal ripening conditions for Chardonnay. In general, we observed higher pH levels than usual due to late vegetative growth.

Because of the higher pH levels of the vintage, the wine was racked out of barrel after only 6 months and only 12% new oak was used in the final blend. In total, 43% of the wine completed malolactic fermentation.

The grapes were hand-picked, whole bunch pressed and settled without enzymes. It was transferred to 500L French oak barrels and a 5100L Foudre, where fermentation occurred naturally.

Winemaker Dirk and assistant Lehandri endeavour to make Glenelly wines as naturally as possible with wild yeast fermentation and little to no acidification. The team follows a minimal intervention approach to winemaking yet intensive sorting and care is taken when receiving the grapes. We use France’s most recognised coopers (mostly from Taransaud, Boutes and Sylvain) to ensure a gentle and precise elevage, preserving the identity of the terroir of Glenelly. Hygiene is of utmost importance in the cellar and a combination of both hot water and ozonated water is used for cleaning.