The anticipated superb quality of the 2021 harvest in the Cape winelands is coming to fruition as this year’s wines are finding themselves released to the market. Neil Bruwer, winemaker at Chamonix Estate in Franschhoek, says that the estate’s Unoaked Chardonnay 2021, which was bottle last month and ready for distribution once the Covid-19 lockdown is over, is an indicator of the exceptional quality consumers can expect from this year’s wines.

Bruwer says signs of a great vintage were already on the cards during spring last year when vineyard conditions were mild, and the early stages of berry-set and flowering commenced in a perfect state of balanced evenness. 

“Every winemaker has, however, seen ideal spring and early summer conditions negated when the hot, windy weather of January and February leads to erratic ripening of the young grapes,” he says. “However, this year the height of the Franschhoek summer was nothing more than pleasantly warm with no real heat waves. This allowed the grapes to ripen slowly, picking up complexity and maintaining brisk acid levels. Therefore, the harvest of Chardonnay was two weeks later than usual, and when the grapes started coming into the cellar, we knew this was going to be a tremendous year as the fruit was healthy to the eye and the chemistries showed harmony and balance.”

For Chamonix’s Unwooded Chardonnay, grapes are selected from three vineyard sites at 450 meters above sea level on southwest-facing slopes. In the winery, the grapes were gently crushed and chilled overnight before fermenting in stainless steel tanks. The wine was then left on the lees for 12 weeks with regular stirrings to add mouthfeel and depth to the wines which, with the quality of this year’s fruit, came to the fore perfectly.

“Unwooded Chardonnay is not very forgiving as there is no oak to hide the flat patches,” says Bruwer. “When it comes together, as this 2021 most certainly does, there is a clarity of expression and palette of delicate citrus and floral flavours that makes it one of the great white grape expressions in the wine world,” he says.

Bruwer notes that interest in unwooded Chardonnay is at an all-time high among consumers. “South Africans are spoilt for choice in their selection of white wine varieties and are thus more willing to try wines outside the ubiquitous offerings of Chenin Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc,” he says. “Unoaked Chardonnay has shown to be a compelling alternative due to it having a layered complexity while maintaining that appealing fresh zestiness white wine lovers love.

“And obviously, the quality of this vintage also bodes well for Chamonix’s famous wooded Chardonnays which will be released next year.”