Winemaking Techniques
The grapes were harvested by hand at 23.4° Balling in the early morning to ensure the grapes arrived cool at the cellar and whole bunch pressed immediately. A long gentle “Champagne” press program was selected where all the juice was pumped into one tank and settled overnight. 1/3 was fermented in Stainless Steel, 1/3 in new untoasted 300-liter French oak and 1/3 in 3rd fill 400-liter French oak barrels. The wine was matured for 7 months before being blended and bottled.
Vineyards
Tradouw is in the heart of the Little Karoo and is known for its continental climate with cold nights and warm days. These conditions are required for colour and fruit development. The 22-year-old block of Chardonnay is grown on decomposed Bokkeveld Shale soil. These soils produce wines with a certain amount of purity, elegance, flintiness and freshness. The wines are also recognised to have lower pH’s which prolongs the longevity.
Vintage Conditions
The 2022 growing season will be remembered by how late everything happened. Bud break was between 2 and 3 weeks later than the norm, which in effect led to the harvest to also start 2 weeks later. A long ripening season led to producing elegant wines with great phenolic maturity and complexity. The drier ripening season meant the conditions were favourable for an ultra-low disease risk which meant much less spraying of fungicides and providing conditions for organic farming.
Food Pairing
Scallops and langoustines
Lightly seasoned white fish with squeezed lemon
Sushi
Varieties: 100% Chardonnay
Harvest Date: March | Vintage: 2022
ALC: 14.02% | RS: 3.5g/l | pH: 3.33 | TA: 6.6g/l
Probably the best Chardonnay I have ever tasted. Impeccable craftsmanship!