Crystallum The Agnes Chardonnay 75cl

This is a precise and linear expression of Chardonnay. On the nose, aromas of pineapple, light butterscotch, oatmeal, and lemon peel. The palate is zippy and textured, with notes of lime, quince, and pear leading to a refreshing, saline finish.

Crystallum is one of South Africa’s most highly regarded wineries and is at the forefront of the ‘New Wave’ movement. In 2021 Peter-Allan was named Tim Atkin MW’s ‘South African Winemaker of the Year’. Each vintage he strives to make even better wines, and he is always on the lookout for new vineyards. This includes recent explorations just outside of Hemel-en-Aarde, such as Elandskloof and Shaw’s Mountain in the Overberg. The former is home to their coolest vineyard, situated at 700 metres above sea level and surrounded by some of the Cape’s highest mountains, making it a particularly exciting, late ripening site. Their south-facing site, on the shale and clay slopes of Shaw’s Mountain, also mirrors the climate and soils of the Hemel-en-Aarde while not technically falling within the region. The winemaking at Crystallum has evolved over the years, with all the wines now fermented with indigenous yeasts and the use of new oak reduced to preserve the purity of fruit.

‘The Agnes’ Chardonnay is a barrel-fermented blend from different vineyards, in the valleys inland from the coastal town of Hermanus. It boasts aromas of white peach, green apple, butterscotch and a pleasant hint of gunflint. The single-vineyard ‘Clay Shales’ is in a cool-climate area on the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, a high elevation and later-ripening area, which gives the wine lovely acid and balance, while the indigenous yeast fermentation and Bokkeveld shale and clay soils add superb texture. This is undoubtedly one of South Africa’s best Chardonnays. Fruit for the ‘Ferrum’ Chardonnay is sourced from their Shaw’s Mountain site, close to Clay Shales. Its iron-rich soils naturally limit vigour and produce intensely concentrated fruit.