Wine Composition
100% Chardonnay
Winemakers Comments
Subtle and elegant with a steely core, this wine perfectly mirrors its illustrious namesake in every way. The wine is given further distinction and definition by using a small amount of Pinot Blanc, adding freshness and perfume to the concentrated flavours of grapefruit, marmalade, and soft vanilla undertones. Careful oaking and extended lees contact have added texture and richness leaving the wine seamless, subtle and satisfying.
Awards
Gold Medal Old Mutual Trophy
Platter's Guide 2016: 4.5 stars
Technical Analysis
Alcohol Percentage
14.%
TA
6 g/l
pH
3.49
RS
4.1 g/l
Cellar Techniques
The whole bunches crushed without prior destemming to ensure a prominent fruit character as well as a well-rounded wine. After pressing, the juice was settled in stainless-steel tanks for 48 hours at 12 - 14°C before the clear juice was racked to French oak barrels. Each barrel was inoculated with different yeast strains. A third of the wine was fermented with natural yeasts. This ensures a 'softer' wine with complexity. The barrels used on the Chardonnay were 50% new and 50% 2nd fill. After fermentation in the barrels, the wine stayed on the lees. The wine was sulphured and left to mature in the barrels for eleven months. Batonnage was done every week for 12 months.
Winemaker
Name - Wynand Lategan
Winery
For centuries, Lanzerac has been a true icon of South African Winelands. This graceful estate has played host to untold numbers of Stellenbosch residents, as well as visitors from home and abroad, for more than 300 years. Lanzerac's recorded history began in 1692 when then Governor of the Cape, Simon van der Stel, granted a piece of land in the pristine Jonkershoek Valley to Isaac Schrijver, an enterprising.
Originally named Schoongezicht, Lanzerac changed hands several times, with each owner contributing to the legacy and heritage of this unique property. While wine has been an integral part of this Estate since its beginning Lanzerac also holds significant historical value with all of the historical buildings representing distinctive examples of Cape Dutch architecture.
Today the Estate covers an area of about 150 hectares, of these, 50 hectares consist of vineyards. Noble cultivars that include Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Merlot, Pinotage, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot grace a variety of soil types and micro-climates.