The Single Vineyard – Ava Marie is the oldest Chardonnay vineyard in the Hemel-en-Aarde, planted in 1999 with 2 hectares of vines, now 26 years old. The vineyard sits on granite and clay soils, with north and south-facing aspects on the mid-slopes at an elevation of 270m. It is planted with clones 55, 5, and 3, and the vines are cordon-trained.

The grapes are whole-bunch pressed using an old Vaslin basket press. The juice is intentionally oxidized, and no sulfur is added until after fermentation. Fermentation is spontaneous, with the wine left on its lees without stirring. The wine ages for 12 months in a combination of 500 litre barrels (10% new), terracotta pots (5%), and one stainless steel barrel (2.5%). The harvest takes place over three weeks, with 8 separate parcels vinified individually, carefully matched to specific coopers, barrel age, and toasting profiles for each parcel. After aging, the wine spends 3 months in stainless steel before bottling and rests in bottle for an additional 18 months before release.

ANALYSIS: Alc 12.8% | RS 1.94 | TA 6.8 | pH 3.3