Uitkyk Chardonnay 2000

Pale lemon-yellow with green tinges. Clear and bright. Attractive citrus aromas of lemons and limes predominate, but melon, peach, a hint of caramel and some toasty oak are also clearly detectable - a full house of Chardonnay aromas!
On the palate the emphasis is on the fruit, and there is plenty of it: upfront citrus and melon, with sweet vanilla of oak in a lower key. Nicely balanced, and very easy to drink. Drink with richer fish such as yellow-tail or salmom baked in cream and mushrooms; also with mussels marinara or a seafood risotto. Delicious with roast pork, apple sauce and crackling; with veal chops braised in the same Chardonnay and in tarragon; and fresh avocado or an avocado mousse. Delightful on its own as it has not been over-wooded. Serve chilled (but not too cold!) at 12-16ºC.


variety : Chardonnay [ Chardonnay ]
winery : Uitkyk Estate
winemaker : Estelle Lourens
wine of origin : Coastal
analysis : alc : 14.02 % vol  rs : 1.2 g/l  pH : 3.39  ta : 5.1 g/l  va : 0.49 g/l  so2 : 85 mg/l  fso2 : 52 mg/l  
pack : Bottle  

ageing : The Chardonnay’s youthful individuality and prominent fruit make it superb enjoyment right now. However, with cellaring it will gain in complexity and character, just like the 1999 vintage which did exceptionally well in bottle.

in the vineyard : The grapes used to craft ths wine came from the Jakkalskloof "Jackals Ravine" vineyard on the estate, which was planted in 1987. The vineyard is situated at 300 metres above sea level and faces north-west. The vines, grafted onto nematode-resistant Richter 110 rootstocks, are grown on soils originating from decomposed granite. They are trellised on a three-wire "fence" system and are not irrigated.
The yield from the vineyard was a very low 4 tonnes per hectare, which further enhanced the quality of the fruit.

about the harvest: The grapes were harvested by hand on 21 Februrary 2000 after reaching a Balling of 24 degrees.

in the cellar : Skin contact lasted only 4 hours. The must was fermented - using Vin 13 yeast and controlling the temperature not to exceed 22 degrees Celsius - for 2 days in stainless-steel tanks and for 14 days in wood.
After malolactic fermentation, the wine was left on its lees in barrel (8% American and 92% French oak) for 10 months. The wine has not been fined at all. Following a light filtration, the Chardonnay was bottled in April 2001

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