Chardonnay

This Chardonnay pairs well with dishes such as roasted poultry, seafood, and creamy pasta, complementing its rich texture and complex flavour profile.

Under the towering Klein River mountains, Thamnus Wines is a unique terroir with few surrounding vineyards. The cool-climate conditions and old soils produce an elegant, more old-world style of wine, expressed well in the Burgundian grape varieties. Our Chardonnay is chiselled in style with lime, almond and flinty notes. The Pinot Noir is generally lighter in colour, but shows darker fruit, firm tannins and more savoury notes. Both wines offer 5 years or more of ageing potential. Multiple clones of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay across 10 ha of vineyards are naturally farmed, vine by vine. We utilize our sheep in the vineyards during certain periods of the season as part of a regenerative agriculture approach; our sheep are rotated throughout the vineyard, grazing and suppressing weeds and allowing cover crops, later the vineyards, to proliferate. We also offer incredible free-range, naturally farmed lamb, fine olive oil and fynbos honey.

The 2022 vintage presented challenges for many, but our high-altitude vineyards allowed us to harvest at the perfect moment of ripeness. All fruit was picked just before the late February rains, preserving the crisp acidity and low pH that define our Chardonnay. The growing season was moderate and cool, with well-timed budding and natural selection occurring in the vineyard, ensuring optimal fruit quality. Evening ripening across the block, combined with temperate weather during harvest, allowed for slower maturation, resulting in exceptional flavour development and vibrant colour extraction. The grapes, sourced from three clones—CY95, CY96, and CY76—delivered impressive natural acidity, balance, and depth in this vintage.

Fermentation took 2 weeks, and the barrels were topped and left for maturation for 9 months prior to bottling. 38% new French oak was chosen for this vintage.

50% of the grapes were pressed whole bunch and naturally settled for 48 hours in stainless steel tank after which we racked it to barrel. The remainder of the grapes were destemmed, pressed and settled with enzymes for 24 hours.