Crystallum The Agnes Chardonnay 2025
This is a precise and linear expression of Chardonnay. On the nose, aromas of apple, salted caramel, oatmeal, and lime peel. The palate is zippy and textured, with notes of quince and pear leading to a refreshing, saline finish.
'The Agnes' Chardonnay is produced from several different vineyards in the Hemel-en-Aarde and Overberg regions. The soils of these vineyards range from heavy clay to shale, sandstone and quartz. The final blend retains the characteristics of these individual sites, combining them to produce a wine which is both unique and greater than the sum of its parts.
'The Agnes' was produced using the traditional method of transferring the whole grape clusters straight into the press and running the juice off into a settling tank. The juice was then racked off the next day into 228 and 500 litre French oak barrels. Fermentation occurred naturally in barrel, where the wine then remained for nine months before bottling.
Crystallum is a small Hemel-en-Aarde winery, established in 2007 by brothers Peter-Allan and Andrew Finlayson. Their father Peter was a pioneer in the production of cool-climate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir at Bouchard Finlayson, so after university, it seemed only natural for the brothers to return home and source fruit from the Hemel-en-Aarde to create their own label.
Translating to ‘heaven on earth’ in Afrikaans, Hemel-en-Aarde is a coastal growing region that directly overlooks Walker Bay. This exposure to the south Atlantic, as well as its high elevation, makes for a climate perfectly suited to producing remarkable Chardonnay and Pinot Noir; two grapes for which the area is famed. Its ancient soils are similarly notable, formed nearly 400 million years ago and comprised of Bokkeveld Shale, decomposed Granite, and Table Mountain sandstone. Becoming a district in 2006, it is no coincidence that the reputation of Hemel-en-Aarde wines has grown at the same pace as Crystallum’s.
Today, 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.
