UitkykSimonsberg Chardonnay 2017 (R58.16 per bottle, 6 bottles)

About

Pale lemon-yellow with faint green tinges. Concentrated citrus aromas of lemons and limes predominate, but some peach and melon are also lurking there. Time in wood together with lees contact has added nuances of butterscotch, nuts and caramel to give you a full house of chardonnay aromas. On the palate, the emphasis is on the fruit and there is plenty of that: upfront citrus and pineapple with sweet vanilla following through.

• Variety100% Chardonnay
• Winemaker: Estelle Lourens
• Origin: Simonsberg-Stellenbosch
• Analysis 
• alc : 13 % vol  
• rs: 2.1 g/l  
• pH: 3.25  
• ta : 7.3 g/l   

Ageing

The Chenin Blanc’s youthful individuality and upfront fruit makes it a superb enjoyment right now. However, with careful cellaring, it will gain in complexity and character.

Vineyards

The grapes were harvested from mid-February at 23–24°B. Minimal skin contact has been allowed and only the free-run juice was used. The fermentation was started with pure yeast cultures and soon afterwards transferred to wood. The fermentation finished after 8 days and the wine was left on the lees for a period of 8.5 months in 31% new oak, 39% second fill and 30% third fill French oak barrels. No malolactic fermentation took place. During the maturation period, the lees has been stirred every 2 weeks

In the cellar

The grapes used to craft this wine came from a single vineyard situated at 270 meters above sea level and facing due south. The vines, which are 18 years old, are grafted onto nematode-resistant Richter 110 rootstocks and are grown in soils originating from decomposed granite. They are trellised on a seven-wire system and received supplementary irrigation during the growing season. The yield was 6.5 tons per hectare; the restriction further enhancing the quality and complexity of the fruit.