Celebration of Chardonnay

Andrew Jefford led a blind tasting of the Cape's Top Chardonnay's. They weren't served in flights per se (but one by one) but I split them up accordingly.

• 2013 Groot Constantia Chardonnay 91 Points

  South Africa, Coastal Region, Cape Peninsula, Constantia

  (Tasted Blind): Mid lemon colour with abundant lemon notes, flint and some light peach. The wine has a vibrant acidity and a charming flinty mineral quality with prominent lemon peel and curd. There is a twist of pastry oak spices on the close—mid finish.

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• 2012 Cape Point Vineyards Chardonnay 89 Points

  South Africa, Coastal Region, Cape Point

  Light to mid-yellow hue, the nose alights with savoury, button mushroom, wet cardboard (is this slightly tainted?). The palate is far better with delightful minerality, a saline character dusted with light spices and a twist of sea salt. A pretty compact wine. Fruits are more apples and lemons.

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• 2012 Vergelegen Chardonnay Reserve 89 Points

  South Africa, Coastal Region, Stellenbosch

  (Tasted Blind): Light to mid-yellow in colour with subtle notes of blossom and citrus. Fresh with focus and poise, the palate entry shows a delightful line of acid, providing a sense of liveliness. Soft, rich texture punctuated by vibrant white fruit flavours and a decent oak integration. Pretty good

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• 2012 Vriesenhof Chardonnay 89 Points

  South Africa, Coastal Region, Stellenbosch

  (Tasted Blind): Mid-yellow colour, the notes start floral with confected elements, yellow cling peach and move towards tropical. A forward and voluptuous style on the palate, full-bodied, with flavours of spice, savoury and flesh that has breadth but feels a little disjointed on the mid-palate with its sweeter fruits that the lively acidity struggles to keep up with.
  Yet, it seems to come together on the medium finish.

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• 2012 Kranskop Chardonnay 88 Points

  South Africa, Western Cape

  (Tasted Blind): Light to mid lemon colour. Abundant notes of apple and apple blossom, which are both enticing. Lively acidity adds vibrancy to the wine with spiced apple hints and fair intensity of flavour. I liked its well-defined line of acidity, which enhanced its overall structure.

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• 2012 De Wetshof Chardonnay Bateleur 91 Points

  South Africa, Breede River Valley, Robertson

  (Tasted Blind): Mid-lemon-green to yellow edges. A subtler nose with savoury notes, spice and abundant apple.
  Spicy flavours dominate the palate, yet there is some fresh citrus, white peach, toast, wet stones and a mineral-ty in the broader mid-palate. The nutmeg and cinnamon dust add complexity to the toasty oak, while the lively acidity gives some definition to the wine. Good length; this is a well-made example.

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• 2012 Richard Kershaw Wines Chardonnay Clonal Selection Elgin

  South Africa, Cape South Coast, Elgin

  I wrote that this was showing lovely concentration and in a good space right now. No score as vested interest.

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• 2012 KWV Chardonnay The Mentors 89 Points

  South Africa, Cape South Coast, Elgin

  (Tasted Blind): A light but bright yellow colour. The nose is redolent in apple puree and flesh, the palate juicy and abundant in fruit with a fleshy, rich, sweet-fruited texture. The mid-palate has apple pulp with some clotted cream and a sprinkle of nuts. Hugely appealing, the flavours are intense, and the acidity is all ripe citrus juiciness - oranges and Meyer lemons. Good length with a touch of sweetness on the finish that works well.
  Score: 89/100
  Natural Yeast in 80% barrels. Do a 10-15% MLF.

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• 2011 Rustenberg Chardonnay Five Soldiers 90 Points

  South Africa, Coastal Region, Stellenbosch

  (Tasted Blind): Light yellow colour, the nose shows spices, toast, ripe apples, pear and a touch of stone fruits. Fresh acidity on entry keeps the wine flowing, while richness and a lovely apple note contribute ample fruitiness. A noticeable spicy and plank-like edge is not fully integrated, resulting in a tapering finish. As the wine opened in glass,it improved and I discerned more hazelnut, clove and melba toast.
  Vineyard was planted in 1998 at an elevation of 400m above sea level.

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• 2012 Tokara Chardonnay Reserve Collection 91 Points

  South Africa, Coastal Region, Stellenbosch

  (Tasted Blind): Light to mid-yellow colour in the glass. The nose reveals flint, chopped stones, and hints of perfume and apple blossom.
  The entry offers plenty of apple flavours with subtle spice and lemon notes. Remarkable intensity of flavour, this is a complex and enticing wine.
  While it lacks a bit of weight, it remains well-focused, with a lively acid edge and a long length. Not completely integrated quite yet, it closed with some hot spice on the finish.
  Sourced from three blocks (420-450m asl) on oakleaf soils. 100% MLF.

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• 2013 Chamonix Chardonnay Reserve 89 Points

  South Africa, Coastal Region, Franschhoek Valley

  (Tasted Blind): Light lemon colour, the perfume is full-on with gorgeous, intense notes of apples, pears, and melon.
  The mid-palate is juicy, ripe and gentle mineral, while the acid is zesty. Closes with a long, fleshy, fruit-wrapped finish.
  Grown at 400-450m asl on greywacke soils with 10-12% clay content. Barrel fermentation plus 10% concrete eggs, full MLF. Matures 14 months on lees.

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• 2012 Cape of Good Hope Wine Co Chardonnay Serruria 88 Points

  South Africa, Cape South Coast, Overberg

  (Tasted Blind): Mid lemon to light yellow; restrained nose with dry spices, mushroom, and elements of lemon, toast and grapefruit. There are overtones of Sauvignon Blanc here, and the palate entry has a crisp acidity. However, the wine hasn't that Sauvignon edgy, aggressive texture. Yet, it gives the impression of being overworked with wood, resulting in a dry sensation that leads to a slightly disjointed leaner styling. Finishes medium to long with a spicy flush. It lacks a little weight, and fruit expression seems muted. Lacks some personality.
  Score: 88
  The block is at 750 m asl, Harvested ripe (24B), no MLF.

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• 2013 Hartenberg Chardonnay The Eleanor 91 Points

  South Africa, Coastal Region, Stellenbosch

  (Tasted Blind): Light yellow, the aromas are pronounced with fresh yellow apples and juicy pear. The entry is fleshy with a lively acid. Powerful, perhaps veering to fullness and even a little top-heavy, the wine has lovely breadth, relying on fruit power, spice, smoke and weight to augment the fruit-forward styling. Good depth, the freshly sawn planks of wood feel workshoppy and are a little disjointed at present—reasonably long, narrow finish.
  The parcel is planted on the warmer side of Stellenbosch, from northwest to southeast. Clay-rich soils seem to give the wine that richness, flesh and depth. No MLF

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• 2013 Jordan Winery (Jardin) Chardonnay Nine Yards 89 Points

  South Africa, Coastal Region, Stellenbosch

  (Tasted Blind): Mid-yellow in colour with savoury notes and a touch of apple, pear, lemon, and melon. Juicy and fruity are sweet spices on entry, but not the typical caramel flavours I expected.
  It is a dry and intense wine that is full-bodied with a fleshy texture and green apple acidity. Prominent apples and Forelle pears, some smoky and toasty notes, the savoury characters reflect the 2013 vintages whilst the mid-palate has the increased richness. The finish is long with a warm spice and alcohol note present, closing with a touch more mineral. Yet, the wine lacks a little concentration on my part. Grapes from a steep SE-facing block, planted in 1988 on mostly decomposed granite and aged in 92% new oak barrels from Damy, Chassin, and Rousseau. Only add SO2 just before bottling. The 2013 is considered a textbook vintage.

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• 2013 Ataraxia Chardonnay 93 Points

  South Africa, Cape South Coast, Walker Bay, Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley

  (Tasted Blind): Light yellow to mid-lemon colour. Prominent lemon and lemon blossom aromas with vanilla, apple and pineapple swirls. Fresh, vibrant acidity on entry with a mineral edge filled with juicy apple pulp, poached pear and a smidgeon of white peach. Arguably, the wine isn’t that complex at this stage, but I loved the juicy line of acidity, its linear gait, integrated oak and its saline finish (a nod to Chablis). Fairly long, the wine exhibits grace and finesse, with a lovely tightness to the mid-palate yet just enough flesh against pithiness to keep it going and closes with a melée of dry spices. 100% barrel fermented.

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• 2012 Hamilton Russell Vineyards Chardonnay 92 Points

  South Africa, Cape South Coast, Walker Bay, Hemel-en-Aarde Valley

  (Tasted Blind): Mid-yellow in colour, the aromas are shy and restrained with button mushroom, savoury edges and Asian pear and smoke.
  The palate has an excellent intensity with an abundant citrus medley playing out textures of juiciness and freshness, yet underneath, it shows a supporting creamy edge. Not that weighty, the wine compensates with vibrancy and improves in glass. Smart wine!
  Grown on stony, clay-rich, Bokkeveld shale-derived soils.

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Andrew Jefford musings after the tasting was that it was exciting - see article https://www.decanterchina.com/en/columns/jefford-on-monday/chardonnay-songs He commented that in Australia the newer Chardonnay’s range from 11.5% to 12.5% alcohol, and appreciated the luminous locations of the Southern Hemisphere wine regions but insists that they should not be obsessed with continually lowering their alcohol content. He observes that the only problematic encounter in wines is when high alcohol content meets high adjusted acidity, a situation that is non-existent when the full phenolic development has been attained. He cites the 2010 Burgundy as an example of enduring high-alcohol wines, indicating how times have indeed shifted.
There’s a marked diversity in the wines he tastes, revealing that those from lower altitudes tend to reach their amplified standards sooner. Meanwhile, wines cultivated at higher altitudes require a grace period, demanding more time to genuinely express their amplification.