Restless River Ava Marie Hemel-en-Aarde Chardonnay 2023
£37.25
The wine
Oatmeal and struck match balanced with lemongrass and lime. The palate is textured with a long finish.
Ava Marie is the estate top Chardonnay. Hemel-en-Aarde means heaven and earth, a cool valley behind Walker Bay a few kilometres from the Atlantic, and it has become South Africa most convincing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay country. The struck match note is a signature of reductive handling, where the wine is deliberately protected from oxygen during fermentation. Restless River is Craig and Anne Wessels estate in the Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, working a small holding and bottling very little.
The producer
Restless River
View all Restless River winesRestless River is a small, cult family estate in the cool, maritime Hemel-en-Aarde valley near Hermanus, one of South Africa most exciting fine-wine regions. Its tiny production and uncompromising quality have earned it a devoted following.
The vineyards lie close to the cold Atlantic, where clay-rich soils and sea breezes yield wines of freshness, structure and mineral drive. Meticulous, low-yielding farming and restrained winemaking aim for elegance and longevity above all.
The estate is celebrated above all for its Ava Marie Chardonnay, a wine of Burgundian class, alongside a refined Le Luc Pinot Noir, a rare cool-climate Cabernet Sauvignon and the approachable Klein Hemel range.
Elegant, age-worthy and impeccably made, Restless River crafts some of the Cape most refined and sought-after wines.
