Wild Ferment Unwooded Chardonnay

This wine will complement a lightly spiced meal, or simply be enjoyed on its own.

The 2023 vintage marked another vintage influenced by the La Niña weather phenomenon. The Autumn of 2022 was dry with below average and variable rainfall throughout the Winter. Spring too was dry, but cool, however, a massive cold front in December brought much needed rain, but increased disease pressure. This lead up to harvest set the scene for a challenging vintage and lower crop sizes. The early heatwaves experienced in January, as opposed to usually occurring in February, brought the white cultivars into line with their average picking dates and all of the white grapes were picked before the unseasonal rains experienced in late February and March. The cooler growing season and lower crops resulted in good acidity and concentration to the wines, while the warm lead up to harvest has given white wines from this vintage a burst of ripe fruit. All things considered, it was another good white wine vintage despite the challenging growing season.

De-Stemmed, Crushed and Pressed. Fermentation Vessel: Stainless Steel Tanks. 2-3 Months, stirring the lees once a week.

The Rustenberg Estate was founded in 1682 and is nestled in the valley of the Simonsberg Mountain in South Africa’s premium wine region Stellenbosch. Rustenberg’s rich heritage and ethos has been informed by many centuries of human influence striving to understand and work with nature to produce wines of distinct character true to their terroir variety and informed style.