Unwooded Chardonnay

Pork, Rich fish (salmon, tuna etc), Vegetarian, Poultry

One of the more difficult years for chardonnay due to cold evenings and strong winds during our flower season. This also led to very low production and uneven ripening of the grapes. We harvested in stages to make sure we only receive optimal ripened fruit.

The unwooded style of Chardonnay is about maintaining freshness, therefore the grapes need to be kept at 14—18 ˚ C during the crush, skin contact period and fermentation. The fermentation in stainless steel tanks lasted 12 days.

Groote Post has always been best known for its Sauvignon Blanc but in recent years its other wines notably Chardonnay Shiraz and Pinot Noir have gained greater recognition from wine competitions and its widespread client base alike. Although Groote Post wines have received a steady stream of accolades and awards since its maiden 1999 vintage co-owner Nick Pentz and winemaker Lukas Wentzel believe that the best has yet to come. While acknowledging that winemaking and particularly grape growing are a perpetual work in progress they are confident that they now have the building blocks in place for a more mature phase in its life cycle. This was amply illustrated during the long and challenging 2004 harvest that produced grapes with the desired physiological factors and phenolic ripeness resulting in complex wines showing intense fruit flavours. The Sauvignon Blancs are now showing consistency with the sought-after fruit to acid balance.