The First Lady Chardonnay

This versatile Chardonnay pairs well with pork, rich fish like salmon or tuna, vegetarian dishes, and poultry.

The wine is aged on its lees for 100 days to develop complexity and texture.

Grapes are harvested in the early morning to preserve freshness and aromatics. They are de-stemmed and crushed directly to the press without skin contact. Fermentation occurs primarily in stainless steel tanks, with a small portion (8%) fermented in oak to enhance palate depth. Post-fermentation, the wine remains on the lees for 100 days before blending and bottling.

Warwick Estate lies in a valley enclosed by the Simonsberg Kanonkop and Klapmutskop. Originally part of a vast piece of land known as Good Success this eighteenth century farm belonged to Colonel Alexander Gordon who renamed his portion in honour of the Warwickshire regiment which he commanded during the Boer War. Years later in 1964 Stan Ratcliffe bought Warwick where with considerable foresight he began planting the precious Cabernet Sauvignon vines which are still a major part of the production today. These vines produced high quality grapes and became highly sought after by wholesalers and other wineries. However it took the arrival of Norma Ratcliffe Stan's beautiful and energetic wife in 1971 for the family to begin making a few experimental wines from Cabernet Sauvignon. The early results were very encouraging and served to extol the virtues of what is surely some of the best terroir in South Africa. Michael Ratcliffe Norma's son has now taken over as proprietor in Stan's retirement and has wasted no time in stamping his personality on the Estate. A host of new innovative techniques learnt during his postgraduate wine studies in Australia are being implemented aimed at maximizing the potential of the Warwick terroir. Under Michael's leadership the Warwick team is striving to take the next step in quality.