Awards: 4 stars John Platter Guide 2011. Chardonnay du Monde Gold Medal (2004 and 2007). Veritas Double Gold Medal 2009. Diamond Award 2010 Winemakers’ Choice Awards. Diners Club Young Winemaker of the Year 2009.
The Môreson Premium Chardonnay is our white wine award-magnet. It’s a decadent, rich and moreish number that is impossible to say no to. After just one sip she’ll become a firm favourite! You can expect lemony, pineapple aromas with a buttery character. This is a well-balanced wine with excellent mouth-feel and that delicious long, long finish.
Colour: Golden straw hue.
Aroma: Upfront sweet white fruit with a buttery roundness and subtle hints of crème brûlée.
Palate: The complex sweet-citrus buttery flavour perfectly balances the Premium Chardonnay aroma; while a full mouth feel and a moreish finish complete the experience.
Climate Climate: Mediterranean
Rainfall: ± 700mm per annum.
Vineyards: The vineyards (from which we harvest our Chardonnay) are situated on level ground on Môreson Farm (in Franschhoek, South Africa). This specific vineyard experiences warm and windy conditions. These conditions result in quick ripening and intensely flavoured grapes.
Soil: The soil is sandy and pale camel in colour. The soil shows good water retention, allowing for moderate vine stress during the dry years. Soil moisture is carefully monitored, through use of a neuron meter, and it is supplemented (by drip irrigation) when required.
Vinification/Maturing: The Premium Chardonnay grapes are whole-bunch pressed, after which the juice is transferred to the tanks for settling. The juice settles for 48 hours and is then racked off and inoculated in the tank/s. It is during these crucial 48 hours that natural Malolactic fermentation is permitted to take place.
Fermentation begins before the juice is transferred to the barrels (where barrel- fermentation takes place). 50% of the Chardonnay juice is settled and transferred to specific barrels for natural wild-fermentation. Primary fermentation takes between 2-3 weeks with wild fermentation often taking longer.
The Premium Chardonnayʼs maturation takes place in the same barrels as fermentation. The wine is matured on the yeast lees for the entire 12 months. It is stirred (batonnage) once a week for the first 6 months and once a month for the final 6 months.
After 12 months of maturation the Premium Chardonnay is racked to the tanks for settling and blending.
No Sulphur is added at any time during our process.
