Spier Private Collection Chardonnay
TASTING NOTE:
Expressive nose of citrus and lime, with subtle hints of nuttiness and vanilla. The aromas follow through to a rich and elegant palate.
SERVE WITH:
Grilled langoustines, a mussel hot pot or braised pork in sweet soy sauce.
APPEARANCE:
Lemon yellow in colour.
ANALYSIS:
|
Alc |
13.77 % vol |
TA |
6.1 g/L |
|
RS |
4.2 g/L |
pH |
3.23 |
WINEMAKER: Jacques Erasmus
ORIGIN: Western Cape
TERROIR / SOIL:
Soils of weathered granite, with some deposits of Malmesbury shale.
VINEYARD AND CLIMATE CONDITIONS:
Dryland, semi-trellised vines with an average age of 16 years yielded the grapes for this wine. The fruit was harvested from the first week to the end of February at a yield of 6 to 8 tonnes per hectare. The climate differs from maritime (close to the Atlantic Ocean) to Mediterranean (more inland).
WINEMAKING:
Grapes from four carefully selected vineyard blocks were hand-harvested between 23° and 24.5°B early in the morning. After hand-sorting the grapes, skin contact was allowed for 6 hours at ±10°C. Only free-run juice drained by gravity was used for fermentation in 300-litre French oak barrels. Following fermentation, the wine was matured on the lees for 10 months. Only the finest barrels, of which 15% were new oak, were selected for blending and bottling.
