Ava Marie Chardonnay

This Chardonnay’s bright acidity and layered flavors make it an excellent match for seafood dishes, creamy poultry, and rich pasta preparations that can balance its complexity and minerality.

This Chardonnay comes from one of the oldest Chardonnay vineyards in the Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, planted in 1999. The vineyard sits on granitic, rocky topsoil with a heavy clay subsoil, ideal for imparting structure and minerality to the wine. The cool, elevated slopes (at 260 meters) contribute to the wine’s focused and mouth-watering profile​.

Aged for 12 months in French oak (10% new) and amphora, followed by additional tank and bottle maturation to enhance depth and stability​.

The grapes were hand-harvested and whole-bunch pressed. Fermentation took place with indigenous yeast, using 90% French oak (10% new) and 10% unlined Tuscan terracotta amphora, allowing for a natural expression of the terroir. After 12 months in barrel, the wine was matured further in the bottle, developing additional complexity.

Restless River is in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, situated in the Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley appellation, with vineyards at an altitude reaching 1200ft and 5km from the cold South Atlantic ocean. The appellation is unique with ancient, granite-based, rocky, deep clay soils; extremely rare to the greater Walker Bay area. Daytime temperatures during summer are some of the lowest in the South African winelands. This cool maritime climate and decomposed granite soils  produces elegant wines, balanced with texture, length and complexity.