Fleur du Cap Unfiltered Chardonnay 2016 wins Gold at annual Trophy
13:04:00Fleur du Cap excels at the Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show with the Unfiltered Chardonnay 2016 achieving a Gold award.
The Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show is considered one of South Africa’s premier wine competitions, identifying the very best Cape wines, recognising the achievements of the
country's winemakers and honouring excellence in the wine industry. The judging panel was chaired by leading wine authority, Michael Fridjhon since the show’s establishment in 2002. The panel comprises three international judges and six local judges covering a broad range of expertise. Of the 977 wines judged, 40 gold medals and 23 trophies were awarded for Best in Class
Winemaker Pieter Badenhorst and his team sourced the finest grapes from two selected vineyards in the Stellenbosch area. In the cellar, fermentation was initiated in stainless steel tanks after the grapes were pressed and the juice clarified. With a quarter of the fermentation done, the wine was transferred to 60% 2nd fill and 40% 3rd fill French oak barrels. The wine spent nine months in barrel to ensure the perfect marriage between the fruit and wood flavours.
The Unfiltered Chardonnay 2016 shows a rich harmony of mint, lime, gooseberry and jasmine. This full-bodied wine is smooth, rich and layered, finishing off with subtle mineral linearity and will mature well for another 2 – 3 years.
“Because of the freedom we have in our sourcing our grapes from some of the finest vineyards in the Cape, we can produce a range of elegant wines of great complexity with abundant fruit and flavour showing their true varietal character. We use a more hands-on, traditional winemaking approach rather than modern filtration processes to preserve the colour, flavour and character of the grapes”, says Badenhorst.
The wine was also awarded a Double Gold Veritas Award in 2017.
The Fleur du Cap Unfiltered Chardonnay 2016 is available at boutique wine shops and fine dining establishments. It is also available online through the Vinot̬que. RRP РR150.00
More on Fleur du Cap:
Fleur du Cap wines were first launched in 1968, shortly after the opening of Die Bergkelder, the famous mountain cellar which cuts deep into the Papegaaiberg in Stellenbosch. Built by Dr. Anton Rupert, it was the first underground bottle maturation cellar of its kind in the southern hemisphere. Die Bergkelder distinguished itself as an important innovator in the wine industry. In the 1970s, the team played a pivotal role in establishing classic noble grape varieties in the vineyards of the Cape and introduced the maturation of quality wine in small casks of new French oak. The launch in 1998 of the top tier Fleur du Cap Series Unfiltered range is testament to this pioneering legacy.
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