Chardonnay “The Agnes” 2023 – Crystallum

The Chardonnay “The Agnes” Crystallum was produced using the traditional method of transferring the whole grape clusters straight into the press and running the juice off into a settling tank. The juice was then racked off the next day into 228 and 500 litre French oak barrels, 10% of which were new. Fermentation occurred naturally in barrel, where the wine then remained for nine months before bottling.

This wine is produced from five different vineyards in the Hemel-en-Aarde and Overberg regions. The soils of these vineyards range from heavy clay to shale, sandstone and quartz. The final blend retains the characteristics of these individual sites, combining them to produce a wine which is both unique and greater than the sum of its parts.

Crystallum is a small winery established in 2007 by brothers Peter-Allan and Andrew Finlayson. Their father, Peter, was a pioneer in the production of cool climate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir at Bouchard Finlayson, so after university it seemed the natural thing for the boys to return home and source some fruit from the Hemel-en-Aarde valley to start their own label. Crystallum is now one of the most highly regarded wineries in South Africa, yet the Finlaysons are determined to make even better wines. Peter-Allan has sourced fruit from some new vineyards, while winemaking has evolved. All of the wines are now fermented using indigenous yeasts and new oak has been reduced to help the bright fruit shine through.