Smuggled Vines Chardonnay

Accolades

2024
95 Points - Decanter

Tasting Notes

A bright gold hue with honeyed apple, cashew and butterscotch on the nose, this wine is a toast to the duo’s tenacity. This Chardonnay boasts vibrant and appealing acidity. Bold notes of tropical fruit, grapefruit, vanilla pod and a chalky minerality lightly dance across the palate which is matched by a silky finish.

Food Pairing

This flavour-filled wine ideally matches cheese and dried fruit, seafood and creamy pasta dishes.

Winemaking Notes

Rolling morning fog and cool breezes during the hot summer months as well as one of the highest elevation sites in the Franschhoek Valley provide the optimal climate for this expressive Chardonnay. Stony clay-rich Greywacke soils give this wine its unique style, chalky minerality and natural acidity. Fermentation takes place in a combination of new French oak barriques (12%) and older 300ℓ barrels. A combination of natural yeast alongside 3 alternative strains were used with total fermentation time being six weeks. Due to the high natural acidity, one third of the wine went through malolactic fermentation. Initially the lees was stirred weekly until the end of May and then monthly thereafter to fine and add body. This results in well-integrated oak. The wine matured in barrel for a total of 10 months in oak.

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