THORNGROVE WINES Chardonnay 2024

This elegant Chardonnay is made with hand selected grapes from a tiny block of dryland grapes in the shadows of the Kasteelberg mountain in the Swartland.

The grapes were picked specifically at two specific and different degrees of ripeness and then held at a cool temperature for a few days, then being very lightly crushed to extract the juices, before settling for a day or two and then allowed to warm up and ferment on 100% new French Oak. The wine was then separated so two thirds could undergo malolactic fermentation.

Both the picking and malolactic practices are designed to deliver an elegant chardonnay that retains fruity freshness and acidity, whilst supporting that with generous but not overpowering butterscotch flavours on the palate.

The wine was further matured on a carefully selected blend of toasted and untoasted French Oak for 6 months, using 30% new oak designed to retain the freshness of fruit but enhance the typical tastes of this cultivar.

This delicious wine is packed with fruit and has the wonderful aroma of fresh apples and pears on the nose with a fresh fruity acidity on the tongue to start with, followed by a warm and generous butterscotch mid-palate and an exceptionally long finish. It is exceptionally well-integrated and difficult to detect the beautiful French Oak.

 

An elegant medium weight, fruit driven wine with great mid-palate and mouthfeel, this chardonnay has good acidity allowing it to stand up to a variety of foods, but in particular dishes like a salmon linguine, or prawns off the grill and also gamefish, all types of poultry and virtually all types of cheeses.

Whilst it is drinking beautifully already now, it will continue to evolve over the next 6-12 months.