Chardonnay

Excellent with caviar, snails, carpaccio paté, crayfish (Cape rock lobster), prawns, mussels, perlemoen (abalone) and creamy cheese.

Vineyard blocks: 6 (4,9 ha) Soil type: Clovelly Direction planted: north-south Density: 4 630 vines per hectare (2,7 m x 0,8 m) Root stock: Richter 99 Clone: CY 3 Year planted: 1997 Trellising: Perold Irrigation: Drip

After fermentation the lees was stirred regularly over a period of 11 months. 20% of the French oak barrels in which the wine was matured were new. All the components were blended subsequent to maturation and the wine was bottled in the La Motte cellar in April 2019.

All the bunches were whole-pressed and the clean juice was transferred to 300-litre French oak barrels where it was inoculated with yeast and fermented at between 17 and 20 degrees Celsius. Malolactic fermentation was also in the barrels. One third of the juice was fermented in stainless steel tanks, without malolactic fermentation.

La Motte is a Franschhoek wine estate with a long-standing reputation for classic South African wines and Cape heritage. Known for Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Syrah and elegant red blends, the estate combines Franschhoek character with a polished, food-friendly style.