Elgin Chardonnay Clonal Selection

This Chardonnay pairs wonderfully with seafood dishes, such as seared scallops or grilled fish, and is also a good match for roasted poultry and creamy pasta dishes. Its bright acidity and mineral notes provide a versatile base for pairing with a range of foods, enhancing flavors without overpowering them​.

The 2019 vintage is sourced from specific vineyards in the Elgin Valley, a region known for its cool climate, which is ideal for cultivating Chardonnay. The vineyards are planted on Cartref soils, consisting of decomposed granite and quartz, which contribute to the wine's distinctive minerality and complexity.

The 2019 vintage saw maturation in French oak barrels, with 50% of them being new. This choice of barrel aging provides the wine with subtle oak flavors that complement its inherent minerality and fruit profile​.

This wine was crafted using whole-bunch pressing and spontaneous fermentation in barrels to enhance its complexity and maintain the purity of the fruit. A judicious use of new oak (50%) allows for nuanced oak integration without overpowering the wine's natural character. The wine spent eleven months aging in barrels, which helped develop its depth and texture​.

“Our commitment is to make the best wines possible from the vine clones best suited to our unique terroir. Our grapes are grown in the cool climate vineyards of Elgin in the Western Cape of South Africa. We produce only a very limited number of cases of Kershaw Elgin Chardonnay and Kershaw Elgin Syrah each vintage. Our aim always is to produce some of the best wines of their style in South Africa.” - Richard Kershaw