Creation Wines Reserve Chardonnay 2023
£30.25
The wine
An elegant Chardonnay with vibrant grapefruit, fragrant apple, a hint of honey and a sprinkling of cinnamon, through to a palate with mineral tension, mouthwatering acidity and a touch of oak spice.
The Reserve comes from selected parcels and sees a greater proportion of new oak and longer time on lees. Chardonnay is the most winemaker-dependent of the great white grapes, taking whatever shape the cellar gives it, and the discipline here is to let the shale and the sea air remain the loudest voices.
The producer
Creation Wines
View all Creation Wines winesCreation Wines sits high on the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge above Walker Bay, founded by Swiss-born winemaker Jean-Claude Martin and his South African wife Carolyn, whose family have made wine for generations. Hemel-en-Aarde means heaven and earth, which the setting rather justifies.
The valley is South Africa's most convincing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay country, and the reasons are specific. It opens directly onto the Atlantic a few kilometres away, so cool sea air moves up it every afternoon, and the soils are weathered Bokkeveld shale, ancient, acidic and low in vigour. Vines struggle there in exactly the way Burgundian varieties require, ripening slowly and keeping their acidity.
The estate has become one of the most decorated in the Cape and is as well known for hospitality as for the wines, with food and wine pairing that has drawn international attention. The Art of range represents the finest barrels of each vintage, selected after the fact rather than farmed separately.
