Technical Specifications
Alcohol 13.0%
Residual Sugar 3.1 g/L
pH 3.39
Total Acidity 5.6 g/L
Calories (estimated) 110 kcal / glass
150ml glass110 kcal
750ml bottle550 kcal
Grape Varieties Chardonnay
Chardonnay100%
Region Stellenbosch
Soil Decomposed granite
Grapes Picked February 2022
Fermentation Vessels Oak Barrel
Pressing Method Whole Cluster
Natural Yeast Yes
Malolactic Fermentation 100%
Oak Aging 8 months
Lees Aging 10 months
Oak Details 25% First Fill New Oak
First Fill New Oak25%
Oak Types French
Barrel Size 300 Litre Oak Barrels
Bottling Date November 2022
Fining Agents Isinglass & Bentonite
Production Details Rustenberg is a well-known producer of high quality Chardonnays and the Stellenbosch Chardonnay embodies our house style. Careful tending and selection in the vineyard followed by traditional wild barrel fermentation and maturation produces a classic Chardonnay balancing the expression of fruit, freshness, full malolactic fermentation and the influence of oak. The winter of 2021 was cold and wet following a warm autumn. Bud burst was late and the cold, wet weather continued into Spring, requiring careful disease and canopy management. The cool, wet weather extended until the middle of December. These cold conditions meant that the white varietals had very healthy acid levels going into the harvest, while the abundance of water increased yields. From the middle of December onwards the weather warmed up considerably with three heatwaves being experienced in January and one in February. This warm weather helped ripen the fruit fully and we picked slightly later than average. 2022, is an excellent white wine vintage. It has the freshness of the cool growing season combined with the fruit expression of a warm end to the vintage and moderate alcohols thanks to the higher yields. The vintage ended late April and was the biggest and longest vintage in Rustenberg's history.
Tasting Notes
apricot, coconut, orange peel, marzipan, sponge cake
Critics Ratings International Wine & Spirits Competition: 95 Gold Medal
International Wine & Spirits Competition95 Gold Medal
Decanter World Wine Awards92 Silver Medal
James Suckling91
Tim Atkin SA Report90
International Wine Challenge90 Silver Medal
▸ Sources (1)
Producer Information
Website
Address
Rustenberg Wines, Rustenberg Road, Stellenbosch, 7600, South Africa
Phone
+27 21 809 1200
Email
Owner
Barlow Family (Simon, Rozanne, Murray)
Cellarmaster
Murray Barlow