ag Chardonnay 2011
“"In summary, 2011 was the “dri...est” harvest ever, it was the “earli...est” Nitida harvest ever (first grapes 18th January 2011) and we worked the “most....est grapes on one day” ever (12 tons of sauvignon blanc and shiraz).It was an insanely intense harvest with everything happening at the same time. and every piece of equipment developed a mind of its own, many bits opting for downtime.It was also an extremely confusing harvest. The grapes behaved completely differently in the cellar to what we anticipated – fortunately all in a really good way.Finally it felt like a super happy harvest. RJ and our CWG protégé, Sacha, got on like a house on fire and great grapes added to the daily pleasure. Walk into such a gorgeous smelling “office” every morning totally adds to anyone’s day."
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Tasting Notes
Bottled breakfast. A gorgeous verrine of pineapple and paw paw encrusted with wheat, oats, barley and hay. The finish is all banoffi and creme caramel. Will bring out the confit in any duck.
Winemaker Comments
2010 was our first Chardonnay made in 6 years and what a great response, so it has found a place back in our portfolio. This year offered new challenges for RJ,but he is quickly becoming a dab hand with this cultivar. Once again these grapes were sourced from a warmer vineyard in Durbanville to ensure full ripeness and those lovely zesty Chardonnay flavours. The vineyard is about 19 years old and in perfect condition, we managed to pick 4 tons for Nitida. The wine is very lightly wooded to fill the lack of mouth feel that tends to characterise unwooded Chardonnay. The wine shows lovely zesty lime characters with a wonderful mouth feel and a stunning natural acidity.
