Thelema Chardonnay 2017

4.5 Stars Platter's Wine Guide 2021 / Jancis Robinson 17 out of 20

Aromas of ripe peach, grapefruit marmalade, blossoms and complex yeasty flavours complement the toasty oak in the wine. The palate is clean with a lovely texture and long finish.

Maturation

Good now, will develop well for 3 years.

Food Pairing

Full flavoured dishes such as lobster, tuna, chicken and pork.

Winemaker's Comments

This wine has a beautiful light straw colour. Aromas of ripe peach, grapefruit marmalade, blossoms and complex yeasty flavours complement the toasty oak in the wine. The palate is clean with a lovely texture and long finish.

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Tasting Notes

Viticultural Practices

Varietal	Chardonnay – Clones CY3 & CY5
Root stock	101 – 14, R110
Soil type	Hutton – decomposed granite
Age of vines	Planted 1985, 1986
Plant density	3432 vines per hectare
Trellising	Vertical hedge
Pruning	2-bud spurs every 12cm
Yield	7-11 t/ha
Irrigation	Supplementary drip
Vintage	Cool nights throughout the growing season with dry warm days resulted in healthy grapes with smaller berries with great intensity of flavour.
Picking date	23rd January 2017
Grape sugar	22.2 °B
Acidity	7.94 g/l
pH at harvest	3.27

Winemaking Practices

Yeasts	D522
Fermentation temp	19 °C
Method	De-stalked, crushed, pressed & settled in horizontal stainless steel tanks before the clear juice was fermented in 228 L French oak barrels.
Wood maturation	10 months in French oak barrels, 35% new, and the balance in 3rd/4th fill.
Battonage	Barrels stirred for several months.
Second Fermentation	The majority of this bottling completed malolactic fermentation in barrel

Wine Details

Residual Sugar	2.1 g/l
pH	3.29
Total acid	6.5 g/l
Alcohol	13.0% by volume
Maturation	Drinking well now and will develop more complexity over the next 3 - 5 years.

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