Thelema “Ed’s Reserve” Chardonnay 2017

“This barrel-fermented Chardonnay was made from a clone which always gives us a deliciously fragrant and characterful wine, quite unlike our other Chardonnays. So we decided to bottle it separately and have named it after another unique gem, my mother-in-law Edna.” – Gyles Webb

Maturation

The track record of this wine indicates cellaring of up to 8 years is well rewarded.

Food Pairing

The silky texture of this wine will match delicate and fine food such as shellfish or carpaccio.

Winemaker's Comments

This fragrant wine shows distinctive lime, peppery and floral aromas so typical of this unique vineyard. The palate is elegant with delicate fruit flavours, lovely yeasty notes and a long finish.

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Tasting Notes

Viticultural Practices

Varietal	Chardonnay – clone ER 166
Root stock	R99
Soil type	Hutton – decomposed granite
Age of vines	Planted 1985
Plant density	3989 vines per hectare
Trellising	Vertical hedge
Pruning	2-bud spurs every 12cm
Yield	4.9 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	1 February 2017
Grape sugar	22.0 °B
Acidity	7.36 g/l
pH at harvest	3.42

Winemaking Practices

Yeasts	Lalvin M / D522
Fermentation temp	About 17 °C
Method	De-stalk, crush, overnight skin-contact, pressed, settled in horizontal stainless steel tanks and fermented in 228 L French oak barrels, 10 months in 15% new wood with the balance being 2nd & 3rd fill barrels.

Wine Details

Residual Sugar	2.1 g/l
pH	3.40
Total acid	6.1 g/l
Alcohol	13 % by volume
Maturation	Drinking well now, and will develop more complexity over the next 3 years

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The Current Range

Thelema Cap Classique 2017

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