Chardonnay Reserve

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

Following harvesting the berries are cooled to 5°C prior to a whole bunch press using the “Champagne” press cycle. After clarifying over-night pressed juice was transferred to 225 litre French oak barrels (90% new barrels, 10% 2nd fill) for fermentation. Our Reserve Chardonnay was 100% barrel fermented, using natural yeast with extended lees contact and daily batonnage. We undertook a barrel selection of our 2018 Chardonnay production to create this exceptional wine. Less than 20% of this wine underwent malolactic fermentation. Limited production of 6 barrels only.

The 2018 chardonnay grapes were specially sourced and hand selected by our Cellar Master from a ridge overlooking the ocean in Somerset West and a high-altitude slope on the side of the Simonsberg Mountain. These two locations are both relatively cool but for different physical influences. They combine magnificently to produce a rounded well-balanced wine. Grapes were harvested in two separate pickings from Somerset West adding to the complexity. 2018 harvest was hot and dry leading to reduced yields.