NELSON ESTATE CHARDONNAY
Screw Cap
An amazing alternative to white burgundy, with lovely oak integration. In a blind tasting this brought to mind Puligny-Montrachet. Quite an accolade.
Paarl
2021
13% ABV.
100% Chardonnay
75cl
£22.50
Price includes VAT
Tasting notes:
Toasty vanilla aromas together with citrus and dried apricot on the nose. This is a well-balanced wine complimented by buttery flavours on the palate with a light oaky finish.
About the wine:
The Nelson Estate Chardonnay grapes were carefully hervested at the optimum ripeness. After harvest, the grapes are sorted and gently pressed. The juice was left for one hour skin contact and then transferred to 100% new French oak barrels. Spontaneous fermentation was conducted in the barrels and the wine was aged for an additional 9 months in the barrels.
About the producer:
It is well documented that during the religious wars of the 17th Centurey, many of the French Protestants, including some famous winemakers from the Loire, fled to Holland where they were prevailed upon by the Dutch East India Company to emigrate to the Cape in order to improve its fledgling wine industry.
Old mud and stone buildings on the estate and an ancient underground cellar suggest that the farm that is now the Nelson Creek Estate was one of the first in the Paarl region to be selected for winemaking by these early pioneers.
In pursuit of a childhood dream, Alan Nelson acquired these farms in 1987 out of a bankrupt estate. Since then, they have been lovingly restored by the Nelson family and their team of dedicated workers. Between 1987 and 1994 approximately 50 hectares of old vines were replaced under the watchful eye of the best viticulture consultants in the Cape with noble cultivars, including Cabernet Sauvignon; Merlot; Shiraz; Pinotage; Sauvignon Blanc; Chardonnay and Semillon.
Between 1993 and 1995, a state of the art wine cellar was constructed with the help of Elsenburg oenologist Eugene van Zyl. Wine production commenced in earnest in 1995. The very next year, the Estate won an award for the Best Chardonnay in South Africa and was in the same year crowned as the Champion Private Wine Producer in the Boland region. Since then the Estate has never looked back. The Estate has become internationally known as Nelson's Creek, named after the Nelson family and the small stream that winds its way through the Estate. It inspired and is depicted on the unique two-part label.
Food match:
An ideal partner to smoked salmon or creamy pasta dishes. Would work well with a good roast chicken too.
