Crystallum Clay Shales Chardonnay

R880.00 incl VAT

The Clay Shales Chardonnay is a single-vineyard wine from a site on the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge that is ideally located in a mountain shadow, at high altitude and near the ocean. The wine is named after the Bokkeveld shale and clay soils on which it is grown, which combine to provide the perfect base for a balanced, Grand Cru-rivaling wine.

We specialise in the Burgundian varieties, working with the ideal conditions in and around the Walker Bay region. Our winemaking approach favours low intervention, with only native yeasts used for fermentation. Our Pinot Noirs are fermented in small stainless steel tanks and aged in French oak for 11-16 months before bottling. The Chardonnay is whole-bunch pressed and fermented in barrel where the wine remains for 11 months before bottling. All fruit is hand picked into small crates.

1 in stock

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Description

Clay Shales Chardonnay

The Clay Shales Chardonnay is a single-vineyard wine from a site on the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge that is ideally located in a mountain shadow, at high altitude and near the ocean. The wine is named after the Bokkeveld shale and clay soils on which it is grown, which combine to provide the perfect base for a balanced, Grand Cru-rivaling wine.

Latest release (2024)

A vivid, taut and complex vintage. White pear, litchi and butterscotch on the nose alongside a struck match smokiness, vanilla pod and elderflower. The palate is textured and weighty, with unctuosity from banoffee pie and lime cordial cut by a stony, grippy minerality and bright, energetic acidity. A standout expression of the now famous site.

Vinification

Whole-bunch pressed with no enzymes, SO2 or commercial yeasts added at pressing. After an overnight rough-settling, the juice was sent to barrel, with fermentation and ageing taking place over 10 months in a 2600L Foudre.

Technical Analysis

pH 3.17
alc% 13.22%
Total acidity 6.9 g/l

Total sulphites 75 mg/l
Residual sugar 4.3 g/l