Elgin Chardonnay

Creamy seafood dishes, Game birds, Roasted vegetable dishes

The grapes were sourced from a selection of sandy loam blocks that are located on the colder sites of the farm, assuring winter frost every winter and thus providing the Chardonnay vines with the required cold units to bud uniformly year after year. The vines are not irrigated throughout the ripening season, forcing them to dig their roots deeper in search of water.

Newer barrels are left longer (11 months) to achieve full integration while older barrels are emptied at 8-9 months to retain freshness. All batches & barrel treatments are kept separately. Each barrel gets assessed individually for its suitability.

After gentle pressing and cold settling, the wine is gravity-fed into small Burgundian sourced French oak barrels (228 -300L) of which 33% is new barrels and left to start natural fermentation. Completing fermentation can take from 3 weeks to 3 months for individual barrels. After fermentation, the wine undergoes lees contact for an average of 10 months on the gross lees without bâtonnage.

From the heart of South Africa’s sought-after Swartland – one of the most dynamic wine regions in the Southern Hemisphere – comes a wine range reflecting its distinctive roots. SURVIVOR. Vibrant wines with an exciting story to tell. Mainly high potential Hutton and Oakleaf soils with high water retention which are suited for the production of premium quality cultivars. These soils provide a longer window period for optimum ripeness without losing any flavours. Supplementary irrigation is advantageous during dry seasons or heat waves as it can be utilised to maintain quality. The vines are situated in such a way that the cooling effect of the Benguela sea breezes is optimised. Due to this the farm is situated most likely in one of the coolest Swartland areas. Our Elgin wines are represented by pure fruit flavours supported by an underlying minerality. This wine from Elgin are by definition an expression of their terroir