g.p.s. Lower duivenhoks river chardonnay
depth of flavour kept beautifully in check by the cleansing tension of acidity.
100% Chardonnay made from Dijon clone CY95.
In 2016, I discovered a small parcel of Chardonnay grapes growing on limestone soils – a rarity in the Western Cape. With limestone often touted as beneficial for Chardonnay grapes, it made sense to grasp this opportunity with both hands.
There is ripeness and intensity to the 2019 GPS Chardonnay with a creaminess of texture and almost mid-palate sweetness that displays pineapple tart, peach melba, orange peel oil and apricot clafoutis. This mid-palate fleshiness and depth of flavour are kept beautifully in check by the cleansing tension of acidity. An elongated finish unfolds further nuances: unburnt joss sticks, pine needles, slivered almonds and oat pithiness.
Selected from a single vineyard block of Chardonnay in the Lower Duivenhoks River area.
The wine rested in barrel for eleven months. A small number of artisanal coopers were selected, all from Burgundy and only French oak was chosen. Importantly, each clone and soil type was micro vinified as separate batches. In 2019 20% was new oak; and the remainder split evenly between 1st and 2nd fill barrels.
Alcohol: 14% | pH: 3.24 | RS: 3.7 g/l
R725
per 750ml
accolades for 2019
Platter's Wine Guide 2022
4.5*
Sophisticated, finely crafted & already showing easy harmony. Lemony flavours subtle
though deep, enlivened by complementary acid; comfortable weight; finish clean & long.
-Angela Lloyd, Platter’s SA Wine Guide 2022
Jancis Robinson
17/20
Greenish straw. Light, 'stony' nose with excellent acidity. This is a youthful wine with what seems like a long and promising future ahead of it. Only very, very slightly reductive. Note of minerals and unsweetened lime juice. Serious and bone dry – rather uncompromising and definitely for connoisseurs rather than the mass market. Crystalline structure. Quite unusual. Wait awhile before opening.
-Jancis Robinson MW, www.jancisrobinson.com
Tim atkin
93/100
Rare in the Cape for being grown on limestone soils, especially outside the Robertson region, this is a correspondingly bright, tangy Chardonnay with nutty, subtly wooded flavours, a twist of vanilla spice and a racy finish.
-Tim Atkin MW, South Africa Report 2021
