Groote Post Chardonnay 1999

NOT AVAILABLE FOR TASTING AT CELLAR DOOR

A brilliant green to gold hue. With typical chardonnay aromas: lime zest, grapefruit and apricots intergrated with good wood aromas. Entry onto palate is sweet, with melons and apricots, fullness and viscocity of the mouth feel are superbly attached to a backbone of acid. Smokey, vanilla flavours are prominent and tremedous complexity and palate weight. Finish is long and flavoursome.

A wine that will develop tertiary aromas and flavours with time in the bottle, and with good cellaring, kept for about 4 years.

Chardonnay

All grapes were destemmed, but not crushed and pressed to 1.4 bar. The juice was treated oxidatively and no attempt was made to prevent oxygen coming into contact with the juice. The result was that all bitter phenolic compounds were oxidised and the resulted wine is dioxide levels are stable. The juice was settled for four days, then racked and inoculated with active dried yeast. At the onset of fermentation the fermentation juice was transferred to French oak barrels. Fermentation took 12-33 days to complete. Some barrels underwent Malolactic Fermentation to balance out the butteriness/fatness and retain fruit. Barrels were topped every two weeks and stirred.