Tim Atkin | TA 92
South Africa 2021 Special Report

Made in cellar space donated by Alex Dale after her own "red shed" burnt down in tragic circumstances, Sam O'Keefe's Chardonnay uses fruit from four different cooler climate sources. Pure and lightly wooded, it has crisp acidity, some leesy weight and flavours of citrus and banana bread.

Winemaker

This very special Chardonnay was made in the style of a traditional Burgundian Chablis. It shows intense citrus and soft fruit layered with brioche, honey and walnut carried by a distinct minerality and crisp acidity with a lingering citrus finish.

Winemakers' Notes
The grapes were picked at optimal ripeness and whole bunch pressed, slowly extracting the juice at a rate of 600ltrs per ton. The juice was cold settled for 48 hours and was racked into 225, 300 and 500 litre older burgundian barrels for fermentation and 11 months of maturation. 5% new French oak was used in this vintage.

Wine Making Aesthetic
Balance is the key to this wine.

The oaking represents a viewpoint that the fruit/acid/pH must drive a wine's flavour and not the over-emphasis on highly extracted buttery notes derived from new barrels and 100% Malolactic conversion. That being said the barrel aging gives this wine its luxurious texture. Having only undergone partial MLF (20%), the wine retains its original fruitiness and fresh acidity. These elements combined allow for years of storage and maturation.