Buitenverwachting Chardonnay 2023
This rich, full-bodied Chardonnay offers a powerful citrus and steely backbone, supporting classic toasty and butterscotch-like characters as well as mineral undertones. Good balance between oak and abundant fruit.
The grapes were grown on clovelly soil, on south and north-east facing slopes. Vines are aged between four and twelve years old. The vineyard has high natural rainfall and no irrigation is necessary.
The juice resulted from a combination of whole bunch pressing and twenty-four hours’ skin contact. It was fermented and aged for ten months in French barriques, with twenty percent new wood.
| RRP | £16.25 |
| Vintage | 2023 |
| Alcoholic strength | 14.5% |
| Country | South Africa |
| Region | Constantia |
| Grapes | Chardonnay 100% |
| Dry/Sweet value | 2 |
| Contains sulphites | Yes |
| Vegetarian | No |
| Vegan | No |
| Organic | No |
| Biodynamic | No |
| Closure | Cork |
It all began in Constantia, the narrow bit of peninsula where Governor Simon van der Stel planted 750 hectares of vines in 1685. The South African wine industry has had many changes of fortune in the three centuries since, but this historic estate remains, divided now between five wineries. Buitenverwachting, meaning ‘beyond expectation’, belongs to the Mueller family, who have lovingly restored both its buildings and its reputation as a source of particularly elegant South African wine.
