Reserve Chardonnay

These perfectly ripe grapes were gently pressed to avoid any harsh phenols. After settling, the juice was racked and fermented at cool temperatures and left on the lees to enhance depth of flavour and texture. 60% of the blend was fermented in stainless steel tanks and the other 40% was fermented.

Vines are drip-irrigated to ensure optimal ripening and trained on the 5-wire Perold trellis system. Planted in soils consisting of weathered granite on clay, the vines are situated on north facing slopes. The nearby Atlantic Ocean (False Bay) has an additional cooling effect on the vineyards during the ripening season. Post harvest 2023 Stellenbosch had a cold winter with above average rainfall and sufficient cold units for the vines to rest. Slightly warmer temperatures end Aug led to even budding and slow initial growth. End September saw strong winds and heavy rainfall which slowed things down again. No significant amounts of rain towards Feb. With these conditions harvest was about 10days earlier than normal. White wines show good intensity and reds of high quality. Overall, the yields were down by 10%.

Matured in French oak barrels for 8 months.