Chardonnay

Smoked chicken salad with balsamic and olive oil sprinkled over. Seared Norwegian salmon with green asparagus, with fresh lemon squeeze.

Grapes grown on sandy loam soils and colder sites got preference during selection. The vines are not irrigated throughout the ripening season, forcing them to dig their roots deeper in search of water. Following a very cold and late winter, bud break was 10 days later than in 2020. This led to a very late flowering and harvest. The growing season was very cool with occasional downpours, and therefore we had near perfect conditions until harvest. The cool summer conditions gave the 2021 season a start with a slower ripening period and grapes reached phenolic ripeness with good acidity and lower pH levels.

After fermentation, the wine undergoes lees contact for an average of 10 months on the lees. All batches and barrel treatments are kept separately for selection purposes.

Grapes were hand-picked in the cool of the morning. After gentle pressing and cold settling, the juice is transferred into 228 and 300 litre French oak barrels for natural fermentation. We love to use a combination of 33% new, 33% 2nd fill and 33% 3rd fill barrels for the cultivar to express itself.

Travelling through the Swartland on the back of a truck, heading towards an auction, a Nguni cow knew a beautiful vineyard when she saw one and jumped off. She was appropriately named Survivor when the grower found her grazing in his vineyard. Pierre Wahl excels at creating powerful and elegant wines, choosing to showcase the cultivar’s fruit characteristics, embraced by an old-world elegance in structure and texture. A masterfully crafted fine wine brand that speaks to inner strength, roots, character and refined taste.