Lovely Creatures Chardonnay Western Cape 2022 750ml

ABOUT Playing with Chardonnay is something Stephanie loves to do, even if it is not a part of the Thistle & Weed selection. When she has had access to great fruit, she has always said yes and historically would bulk the wine off to a buyer. In this vintage of the Lovely Creatures collaboration, Steph sourced the Chardonnay from the Swartland on sandy clay soils with ferricrete (koffieklip) intermixed, which give that rich, purity of fruit that the Swartland is known for. The reason for switching the source of the fruit to the Swartland in 2022 (after sourcing from Stellenbosch in 2021) was that the yields in Stellenbosch were insanely low in 2022. The Chardonnay was hand-harvested and de-stemmed with a gentle pressing to stainless-steel tanks. The juice fermented at a rather cool temperature, and after ten days the fermentation went dry. The wine remained in tank to mellow out. After ten months of aging, the wine was bottled with a gentle fining, crossflow filtration, and dose of sulfur. DATA Grapes: 100% Chardonnay Vineyard: Swartland Vine Age: 15-years-old Soil Type: Sandy with clay and ferricrete (koffieklip) Viticulture: Sustainable Fermentation: Inoculated – stainless-steel Skin Contact: None Aging: 10 months in 90% stainless-steel tanks and 10% second use French barriques Alcohol: 13% pH: 3.66 Total Acidity: 5.4 g/L Total SO2: 141 ppm Total Production: 925 cases UPC: 0788115423623 TASTING NOTE Medium bodied. Expressive aromas of cooking apples, vanilla, and baking spices. The palate is bright and linear but ample, with citrus notes and a robust finish. Great tension.