KERSHAW 'CLONAL SELECTION' CHARDONNAY 2021

In 2012, owner RichardKershaw MW, establishedKershaw Wines to create clonally selected, site-specific, cool climate wine paradigms from apposite noble grapes i.e. ones with the ability to produce world-class examples. SA’s coolest wine district, Elgin Valley, reflected these principles benefitting from higher altitude, ocean proximity, specific cloud cover sequencing, high cold units and a large diurnal range, enabling the germane grapes, Chardonnay, Syrah and Pinot Noir, to show a sense of place.

2021 Vintage

2021 was an outstanding vintage that was cooler and later than the ten-year average. During the post-harvest period of 2020, there were reasonable water reserves in the soil and this allowed the vines to have a successful build-up of reserves as we headed into winter. Fortunately, winter rainfall was significantly higher than the previous season. Budding occurred in late August around normal and once activated, it was very even for Chardonnay. A cool early Spring with wetter conditions meant the soils remained cool, leading to a delayed growth of the immature shoots by up to three weeks. Flowering and fruit set was characterised by continuous cool conditions with frequent rain showers. Veraison occurred 2-3 weeks later than average giving a much longer hangtime than normal and harvesting began in late February but went deep into March. The wines themselves have a fabulous pH with high acidity and perfumed flavour profiles; alcohols are somewhat lower than average, in fact, the lowest since I began making wine.

Vineyard

The grapes come from eight to 10 small parcels of vineyards in several locations in the Elgin Valley. Elgin is the coolest wine region in South Africa and is situated on an inland, hexagonal-shaped plateau, at an altitude of 300 to 500 metres. This cool-climate region is surrounded by mountains and lies just over three miles from the Atlantic Ocean, which brings occasional sea-borne mists. The benefit of this cooler climate is that the grape cluster stays connected to its roots for longer, so it develops complex characteristics and achieves physiological ripeness more gradually, resulting in lower sugar levels and consequently lower alcohol levels. The four Dijon clones VY, 76, 95 and 96 and the Entav clone CY548 flourish in Bokkeveld Shale and Cartref soils, which offer good drainage and produce delicate wines.

Winemaker's Comments:

Grapes were hand-picked in the early autumnal mornings, placed into small lug baskets and tipped directly into a press before being gently whole-bunch pressed up to a maximum of 0.6 bar or until a low juice recovery of 620 litres per ton was obtained using our WillmesSigma 5 press. The juice gravity-flowed directly to barrel without settling. The unclarified juice had no enzymes or yeast added to it and therefore underwent spontaneous fermentation until dry, with malolactic discouraged. The wine rested in barrel for four months before judicious sulphuring and a further seven months’ maturation in barrel before racking, blending and bottling.