La Motte Chardonnay 2011

A low pH and good acid in the analyses were evident of a fresh wine with a firm structure. Low alcohol resulted in soft, integrated extraction of complementing wood flavours. The result is a wine with tropical and citrus fruit flavours, with cashew nut in the background. Secondary traces of fermentation and wood are present, but it is a crisp and refreshing
wine.

Excellent with caviar, snails, carpaccio,pâté, crayfish (Cape rock lobster), prawns,langoustine, mussels, perlemoen (abalone) and creamy cheese.

variety : Chardonnay [ 100% Chardonnay ]
winery : La Motte
winemaker : Edmund Terblanche
wine of origin : Franschhoek
analysis : alc : 12.87 % vol  rs : 2.3 g/l  pH : 3.28  ta : 6.0 g/l  
type : White  style : Dry  body : Full  taste : Fruity   wooded
pack : Bottle  size : 0  closure : Cork  

AWARDS
2012 Veritas Wine Awards - Bronze Medal
Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show 2012 - Bronze
in the vineyard : 
Grapes for the 2011 La Motte Chardonnay originate from La Motte, Franschhoek Valley. The vineyard lies 200 metres above sea-level, against a southern and south western slope.

Vineyard blocks: 6 (4,9 ha)
Soil type: Clovelly
Direction planted: north-south
Density: 4 630 vines per hectare (2,7 x 0,8)
Root stock: Richter 99
Clone: CY 3
Year planted: 1997
Trellising: Perold
Irrigation: Drip

The vineyard is managed to maintain a perfect balance between leaf coverage and yield. It is managed organically and is SGS-certified.

Vintage:
Budding started early as a result of a warm August, while spring and flowering time turned cold again, causing unfavourable conditions. Summer was dry, with a heat
wave in early January, while generally dry and hot conditions caused harvest-time to be even earlier. White wine flavours are not intense, but there is a good balance
in the analyses and taste.

about the harvest: Grapes for the 2011 Chardonnay were harvested between 1 February and 16 February, at different degrees of ripeness.

in the cellar : transferred to 300-litre French oak barrels where it was inoculated with yeast and fermented at between 17 and 20 degrees Celsius. Malolactic fermentation was also in the barrels. One third of the juice was fermented in stainless steel tanks, without malolactic fermentation. After fermentation the lees was stirred regularly over a period of eleven months.
30% of the French oak barrels in which the wine was matured were new. All the components were blended subsequent to maturation and the wine was bottled in the La Motte cellar on 23 April 2011. After twelve months of bottle maturation, 5 000 cartons (6 x 750 ml) were released as 2011 La Motte Chardonnay.

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