Cellar Master Series Chardonnay

Please note: Award stickers are applied at the producer's discretion and may not be present on all bottles.

The grapes were harvested by hand at 23.6° Balling in the early morning to ensure the grapes arrived cool at the cellar and whole bunch pressed immediately. A long gentle “Champagne” press program was selected where all the juice was pumped into one tank and settled overnight. 1/3 was fermented in Stainless Steel, 1/3 in new untoasted 300-liter French oak and 1/3 in 3rd fill 400-liter French oak barrels.

Tradouw is in the heart of the Little Karoo and is known for its continental climate with cold nights and warm days. These conditions are required for colour and fruit development. The 23-year-old block of Chardonnay is grown on decomposed Bokkeveld Shale soil. These soils produce wines with a certain amount of purity, elegance, flintiness and freshness. The wines are also recognised to have lower pH’s which prolongs the longevity. Budburst took place on average 10 days earlier than in the 2022 harvest. A week before budburst, we experienced a cold spell, which led to a slower, more even budburst. Perfect weather conditions during the initial stages of the growing season favoured growth, flowering, and fruit set. Little to no wind during flowering led to better set. A long ripening season led to producing elegant wines with great phenolic maturity and complexity.

The wine was matured for 9 months before being blended and bottled.