WEATHER CONDITIONS – Simonsberg, Stellenbosch
- Following harvest 2021 the conditions were cool and dry, leading to later leaf fall than usual.
- Budding was even but occurred 7 days later than for the previous vintage.
- Continued low temperatures in spring, meant that flowering was delayed by 10 days.
- Significant rainfall had a challenging effect on flowering and berry set.
- Moderate temperatures throughout the early summer ensured a balanced growth.
- January and February were marked by dry and hot weather spell, with multiple heat spikes occurring over this period.
- However, even with those spikes, we did not see a significant acceleration in ripening.
- The yields were small but of high quality and picking had to be timed carefully to ensure freshness in the resulting wines.
WINEMAKING
- The grapes were whole bunch pressed and settled without enzymes.
- The juice was transferred to 500L French oak barrels and a 5,100L Foudre, where fermentation occurred naturally.
- The wine was left in barrel, on its lees, for 11 months prior to racking, blending, and bottling.
- In total, 20% new oak was used in the final blend and due to the lower natural acidity of this vintage, only 18% of the wine completed malolactic fermentation.
GRAPE VARIETIES : 100% Chardonnay
PRODUCTION : 7,929 cases – 47,575 bottles
ANALYSIS : Alcohol: 12.9 % Vol.; Total Acidity: 6.40 g/L; pH: 3.28; Residual Sugar: 1.8 g/L
