Tokara, Reserve Collection Chardonnay 2023

Description

Tokara’s sought-after and award-winning Reserve Collection consists of expressive and layered wines that showcase the unique attributes of terroir specific, single-vineyard offerings and are produced in limited quantities.

ORIGIN
This 100% Chardonnay is made from grapes grown on Tokara’s Stellenbosch farm on the slopes of the Simonsberg Mountain.

SOILS
The soils are Oakleaf from granitic origin with varying levels of sandstone pebbles in the profile. It is a deep clay rich soil, with gravelly elements.

SLOPES
The aspects vary from South-Eastern to North Western slopes at altitudes between 300 and 360 m above sea level.

CROPPING AND HARVESTING
The vines cropped between 6 and 7 tons per hectare. The grapes were hand-picked between the 10th and 20th of February at optimal flavour ripeness with sugars between 22 to 23.2 degrees brix and 6.5 to 8.1 g/l acid.

WINEMAKING
The grapes were de-stemmed, crushed and pressed to stainless steel tanks for settling overnight or whole bunch pressed after a night in the cold room with one night’s settling and subsequent racking. Only the free run juice from the best blocks is used for the Reserve Collection Chardonnay. The juice from the settled batches was then racked and run off to barrel for fermentation with selected yeast. After fermentation the wine was topped and left on the lees with regular stirring for 9 months. 80% of the barrels were allowed to complete malolactic fermentation. The barrels were all tight grain French oak 228 litre of which 28% were new the rest were 2nd and 3rd fill barrels. The wine was bottled in December 2023.

TASTING NOTES
This wine displays a light gold colour. Aromas of grilled lemon, lime skin, mandarin blossom and toasted almond emanate from the glass. The wine enters the palate with bold, ripe yellow citrus flavours leading to a creamy mid-palate and hint of caramelised sugar. There is a continuous saline focus and feeling of freshness throughout that suggests this wine will age beautifully for at least a decade

Food pairing: Best served with sole meunière, or soft shelled crab and fennel seafood pasta.

ANALYSIS
A l c . Vo l % – 14.0%
Residual Sugar – 3.3g/L
Total Acidity – 5.8g/L
p H – 3.49

Additional information

Best served with sole meunière, or soft shelled crab and fennel seafood pasta.