Zevenwacht Chardonnay Barrel Fermented 2015

Thursday, 25 August, 2016
Zevenwacht Wine Estate
One of the bugbears of the South African Wine Industry, according to the acclaimed Rosa Kruger in a speech yesterday, is virus and in particular leaf roll virus which causes the leaves to roll up like cigars before the grapes are ripe.

The only way to overcome this is to plant virus free material and to look after your vineyards. Clearly advice taken well in advance when Zevenwacht planted virus free Chardonnay in 2005. And looking after the vineyards means great quality grapes.

There are two Chardonnay south west facing vineyards planted on the home farm which look out over False Bay. The vintage of 2015 was an early one which produced excellent fruit, with a generous soft acidity and the ability to be long lived.

The grapes for the Zevenwacht Chardonnay Barrel Fermented 2015 were hand harvested and taken to the cellar where they were destemmed and lightly crushed. A gentle pressing took place and the juice was settled out overnight. Once settled the juice was taken to a range of 1st, 2nd and 3rd fill 500 litre French oak barrels where the wine was fermented and then matured for 9 months. 20% of the blend was in first fill barrels, 60% in second fill and the balance in third fill. Resting on the lees with occasional batonnage builds the mid palate and results in the classical creamy texture. The wine was then prepared for bottling.

It looks like
Packed under cork in a Burgundy shaped bottle. In the glass the wine is a gem bright golden straw with lime green flashes.

It smells like
Marzipan, citrus fruits and freshly sliced ripe pears.

It tastes like
Benchmark oaked Chardonnay. Sweet tropical limes and pears repeat on the palate. Lovely rich and refreshing fruit. Both the batonnage and the oak produce a great platform on which the fruit can perform.

It’s good with
I always feel that Chardonnay is a white wine pretending to be a red wine, so it taken take quite fully flavoured dishes, even pork and veal. Lemon Risotto with Chicken, Mushrooms & Chives by Anina Meyer was our choosing as a great match to this wine. All the lemony creaminess of the risotto resonating with the wine. Click here for her recipe.

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Posted: August 23rd, 2016 in wine of the day
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Click here to read press release online..