Biosphere Chardonnay Sur Lie

Seafood, poultry, creamy dishes

The 2025 vintage Chardonnay sur Lie comes from a 4.5 ha vineyard planted to three different clones. 2025 presented a largely favourable year for winemaking. While rainfall was slightly below average, particularly early on, it fostered concentrated grapes with good acidity. Moderate temperatures throughout the year ensured even ripening, resulting in wines expected to showcase vibrant fruit and balanced structure. A drier winter also aided in healthy vine growth.

This unwooded Chardonnay was hand-harvested, whole bunch pressed, fermented in temperature controlled stainless steel fermenters utilising ambient yeasts and then left on its lees. These are the yeast cells that fall to the bottom of the tank after fermentation. Lees are super protective and, with regular stirring, keep the wine fresh and protected from oxygen. In time, they lend the wine a sophisticated mouthfeel and length. After 8 months, the wine is lightly filtered before bottling to maintain its integrity and delicate Chardonnay flavour spectrum.

In its opulent setting on the banks of the Palmiet River and a private lake in the Elgin Valley Lothian Vineyards shines in a class all of its own. Years of searching for the perfect location finally revealed Elgin’s cool-climate terroir as an elegant setting for growing grapes to produce exceptional Burgundian-style Pinot Noir Chardonnay Riesling and Rose varietals. The Wilson family’s non-interventionist artisanal wine-making technique flows into the feel of Lothian House: a feat of modern architecture designed with sensitivity towards the environment.Lothian estate is distinguished by nature positioned in the Kogelberg Biosphere which possesses 1654 plant species found nowhere else on earth.