Family Reserve Chardonnay 2022 6x75cl

Aromas of citrus, quince, green melon and savoury notes on the nose with layers of pear and honeysuckle on the palate. Elegant fruit and integrated French oak flavours give this wine a silky mouthfeel and a long, fresh, mineral finish. Enjoy now or mature up to 15 years at optimum storage conditions.

Vineyards

The Family Reserve Chenin Blanc 2022 was crafted from three different wards and soils (Decomposed Granite, Oakleaf and Duplex) in Stellenbosch, each contributing to the complexity of the wine. 2022 is also the first vintage of Family Reserve to be certified as made from Heritage Vineyards. The canopy of the bush vines was suckered and tipped to ensure a cool microclimate around the bunches with no direct sun and without botrytis. Due to a cool, wet spring, budding was seven to 14 days later than usual, but consistently good and even, promising a great vintage.

Vintage

The 2022 season started with a great winter and uninterrupted cold unit accumulation. Budding started very late due to a cold front and heavy snow fall at the end of August and moderate temperatures during September. This facilitated even growing and ripening in the latter part of the season. Berries and bunches were a little bit bigger due to high water availability and also meant 5% increase on crop yield on 2021, bringing us back in line with our average yield over the last 10 years. In the winery itself it was a memorable vintage. The grapes ripened on time and staggered well so the cellar was never under pressure and picking could be at exactly the right time. These vintages usually shape up to be some of the best, so watch this space! We are excited about the quality of the vintage and was also one of the most enjoyable harvest for the team. We hope you can have as much fun enjoying the wines as we had making them.

Winemaking

The grapes were picked separately between 21 and 23°balling, reductively crushed and the resulting juice given 12 -18 hours skin contact prior to settling. After only 1 day of settling, the slightly turbid juice was racked off its gross lees to a stainless-steel tank where it was inoculated with selected slow fermenting yeast strains. The juice was then gravity fed into 400l French oak barrels and 2 x 500l Italian Terracotta Amphora and, for the first time at Kleine Zalze, concrete eggs for fermentation. No new oak was used to preserve the delicate flavours of Chenin blanc.The wine spent an extra 8 months on the lees in the respective fermentation vessels, with no fining or filtration before bottling.

Enjoy with:

• Grilled and Roasted White Meats
• Fish/Shellfish
• Salads and Picnics
• Oriental
• Spicy

Perfect with fish dishes