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  Lourensford Wine Estate
Phone +27.218472333
Fax +27.218470910
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URL www.lourensford.co.za
Address P.O. Box 16
Somerset West
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in the news » Lourensford Winemaker's Selection Chardonnay 2011 wins gold
published on: 31 May 2012      source: Lourensford Wine Estate
 
We are very proud to have been awarded yet another GOLD medal for our 2011 Winemaker's Selection Chardonnay. This time at the International Wine Challenge. The wine sure is getting everyone talking and wanting to try some.
The Winemaker's Selection Chardonnay 2011 is probably one of the most satisfying wines to make where balance and harmony in the vineyard and soil plays a very important role in the end result in the bottle.

The Harvest
It was a very dry season with a shorter ripening period resulting in lower acidity at the desired sugar levels in the grapes. Careful canopy management was done to make sure the grapes see just enough sunlight to keep them healthy and produce balanced fruit flavours. The fruit was picked by hand early in the morning to protect the very delicate flavours. The harvest dates were 3 February - 19 February 2011.
 
In the cellar
Wood: 100% of the wine was fermented in 100% new Burgundian wine barrels and spent 9 months on its primary lees with intermitted barrel rolling to stir up the lees and release the manno-proteins in the yeast cells that adds flavour and structure to the final wine. 66.5% of the wine was fermented in stainless steel tanks and moved to barrel halfway through the fermentation process. 33.5% of the wine was fermented natural and without the addition of yeast in barrels.

Coopers: 22.2% Mercurey, 16.8% Latour, 55.4% Vicard, 11.1% D&J

Age at bottling: The wine spent 8 months in barrel on its primary lees.

Bottles produced: 3600 bottles

This vintage can be enjoyed up to 2016, but will reach its best drinking potential towards the end of 2012 and will possibly peak only towards the end of 2014.
 
 
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