Rustenberg Five Soldiers Chardonnay

ABV 13.5%

The Five Soldiers vineyard is named after five tall stone pine trees known as the 'Five Soldiers' that tower over this site at Rustenberg.
Carefully-selected Chardonnay bunches are hand harvested for this special wine and then given royal treatment in the cellar. Characters of ripe citrus, melon and peach with great minerality are rounded out by well-judged oaking. A very complex wine with a long and creamy finish and a good acid backbone.

Vintage conditions
The winter of 2016 was dry but cold as drought conditions persisted in the Western Cape. Despite the drought, a warm, dry spring and little wind meant that there was little disease pressure and little stress on the vineyards beyond the heat. Harvest started slightly earlier than usual but was 10 days later than the record early start of the 2016 vintage. Careful use of irrigation to offset the dry drought conditions and cold nights experienced during the first four months of the year resulted in superb quality, and wonderful acidity, colour and flavour concentration in the wines. Indications are that 2017 will be an excellent vintage with plenty of potential to age well.

Vinification details
After care hand harvesting, the grapes were whole bunch pressed before fermentation in 300L French oak Hogshead barrels (70% new, 30% second fill) using wild yeasts. The wine underwent full malolactic fermentation and was aged on its lees for 15 months.

Green credentials
Accredited Integrated Production of Wine (IPW) estate.