Product Description
Somerset West, South Africa
Varieties
100% Chardonnay
The Vineyard
The grapes are all Estate grown and selected from three vineyards – Rooiland 12 & 13 and the super vineyard Lower Schaapenberg.
The Cellar
Grapes were whole-bunch pressed with no skin contact. The juice, with some clarification, was racked into 35% new French oak barrels (Francois Frère, Dargaud & Jaegle) and 50% second-fill and third-fill barrels for alcoholic fermentation. The spontaneous onset of fermentation was allowed for and after 7 days the barrels were inoculated with a pure culture yeast strain. Fermentation took approximately 15 days to complete – once the sugar was fermented, all 43 barrels were topped up. Only one-third of the barrels were allowed to complete malolactic fermentation to retain optimum acidity/freshness. The young wine was left on the gross lees for 10 months with regular battonage, then stabilised and bottled on 19 January.
Alc 14.52%
RS 1.58 g/l
TA 6.05 g/l
pH 3.40
Aging Potential
Drink over the next decade.
Awards
VERGELEGEN CHARDONNAY RESERVE 2018
Atkin – 92
Platter – ’93 – 4½ stars
VERGELEGEN CHARDONNAY RESERVE 2017
Atkin – 92
Martin – 90
Platter – ’93 – 4½ stars
VERGELEGEN CHARDONNAY RESERVE 2016
Atkin – 92
Martin – 94
Platter – ’93 – 4½ stars
VERGELEGEN CHARDONNAY RESERVE 2015
Tanzer – 91
Atkin – 91
Martin – 92
VERGELEGEN CHARDONNAY RESERVE 2014
Tanzer – 92
Atkin – 91
VERGELEGEN CHARDONNAY RESERVE 2013
Tanzer – 91+
Atkin – 93
Martin – 92
