Chardonnay
Appellation: Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley
Ava Marie Vineyard
Our farm is situated in the cool Hemel-en-Aarde Valley. The soils are granite-based and our vineyards are positioned mid-slope at an elevation of 260m. The cold South Atlantic ocean is 5km away and acts as a giant air conditioner. These contribute to a purity of fruit and fresh acidity. This site-specific Chardonnay bears the name of its vineyard, only 2.06ha in size and is registered as a single vineyard. Slopes are mostly south and east facing. Shallow top soils vary from iron rich rocks to a light, sandy gravel. Below this is decomposed granite clay and quartz crystals, all contributing to a poised Chardonnay with texture and definition.
Vinification
Specific parcels within the vineyard were hand-picked over a period of three weeks in February. The grapes were immediately placed whole bunch into our old Vaselin basket press. After a gentle four hour squeeze, the oxidised juice was settled overnight then racked into a variety of different sized French oak barrels (10% new) and unlined Tuscan terracotta amphora. Natural fermentation took up to 30 days after which sulphur was added for the first time and the wine was aged sur lie for 11 months. It was bottled after being racked into stainless steel to settle for 3 months and bottle-aged for 18 months.
Alc: 13.0% pH: 3.24 TA: 6.8g/l RS: 1.7g/l
