Arabella

Arabella Chardonnay

ƒ16.50
Tasting Notes

Yellow green in colour. Citrus and vanilla on nose and palate. Crisp and elegant with a long finish with subtle hints of wood.

Alc: 12.5 RS: 2.4 pH: 3.12 TA: 6.5

 

Awards

2015
Ultra Value Award Silver 2015

2013
Old Mutual Trophy Bronze 2014

2010
Michelangelo 2010 – Gold Award

2009
Michelangelo 2009 – Gold Award

2007
Swiss International Air Lines 2008 – Silver Medal

 

In the Vineyard

Soil Types
The vineyards are planted on the floor of what was, many millions of years ago, a great inland lake. Evidence of this lake can be seen in the massive water washed boulders. As the rainfall declined the lake dried up leaving a deposit of calcareous silt many meters thick. The drying of the soil and the effect of the elements cured the top layer of this calcareous silt into rock hard calcium carbonate. At first it was thought that these soils were only suitable for pastures as the roots of orchards and vineyards could not penetrate the calcium carbonate. The era of the big machine, which could rip through the hard calcium carbonate to a depth of 1.5 meters to access the calcareous silt underneath, changed this perception. Vineyards now flourish and produce wonderful wine where there once was arid veldt. A near perfect viticultural terroir has been created where man can manipulate conditions as he sees fit.

Clonal / Rootstock Selection: 
The rootstock used is Richter 119.

Growing Season Growing Data (October – April)
Rainfall: 333.7mm
Mean Maximum Temperatures: 24.95°C
Mean Minimum Temperatures: 10.27°C
Vine Age: 10 years
Pruning Regime: Cordon/Spur Pruned, Vertical Shoot Positioning

The Harvest: 
Harvest Date: End January
Yield Per Vine: (weighted average) 2.7 kg
Yield Per HA: (weighted average) 8 tonnes
Maturity Analysis at Harvest (weighted averages)
Brix: 25°

In the Cellar:
Chardonnay is picked end of January and in the very early morning (at first light) by hand so as to keep the berries whole and thus reducing the chances of oxidation on route to the winery. Once crushed the wine is cooled though mash cooler and then pumped into an airbag press with a central inflatable membrane. The entire outer cylinder of the press has drainage holes to speed up the process of pressing, increase the amount of juice extracted and reduce oxidation. Once pressed the juice is again put through a plate cooler.

Blend Information:
100% Chardonnay

No reviews No reviews

About this wine

Food Pairing

Chardonnay is going to go well with butter or nutty flavors. When it comes to seafood it will pair well with seafood dishes based on shellfish like crab, lobster, shrimp, and mussels. You'll also find that it pairs very well with flaky white fish like halibut.

Tasting Notes

Yellow green in colour. Citrus and vanilla on nose and palate. Crisp and elegant with a long finish with subtle hints of wood.

Grapes

Chardonnay

Country

South Africa

About the Winemaker

Arabella is a new venture established on land which has been in the De Wet family since the 1860’s. As the vineyards had been established many years previously, it was assured that top quality wines would be produced at Arabella. A new cellar, bottling hall and tasting room was built at the beginning of 2006 and the first vintage from the cellar was produced in 2006. Arabella got off to an auspicious start when the Arabella Shiraz 2007 won a double gold at the Michelangelo International Wine Challenge. It is the family’s desire to establish the Arabella brand by giving our customers the very best quality at the very best price possible. But just good quality is not enough – we want our customers to have a special experience when drinking Arabella wines.