Meerlust - Chardonnay 2022
Meerlust Estate is located in Stellenbosch , South Africa . The estate has been in the Myburgh family since 1756 and is now run by the eighth generation, Hannes Myburgh. Meerlust means 'pleasure of the sea' and refers to the mansion, situated on a granite outcrop just 5 kilometers from False Bay. The vineyards benefit from cooling ocean breezes and evening mists during the summer, which help lengthen the growing season and allow the grapes to ripen more slowly, a major factor in the resulting flavor intensity. The modern era of the estate begins in the 1960s when Nico Myburgh (Hannes' father) visits Bordeaux and discovers that the terroir of this region of France resembles that of the Eerste valley: both have a particular climate. , characterized by a refreshing sea breeze, as well as a soil structure composed of decomposed granite and clay. In 1984 he produced Rubicon for the first time, one of South Africa's first blended wines. The Myburgh family today cultivates Bordeaux grape varieties (Merlot on rich clay and Cabernet on well-drained granite) and Burgundian grape varieties (Pinot Noir and Chardonnay) planted in the highest part of the vineyard, where it cooler.
Meerlust Chardonnay 2022 was vinified from fruits selected from two vineyards: Kompagniesdrift (the soils of this warm, north-facing slope are mainly formed of weathered granite. The plots are located on the highest part of the estate and benefit from cool nights and a prevailing sea breeze in the afternoon) and Quarry, whose extremely rocky terrain consists of greywacke with interbedded shales. The grapes are pressed directly, then fermentation occurs in barrels: 37% third-fill barrels , 33% new barrels and 30% second-fill 300-litre barrels . The wine is then withdrawn from its lees and put back into barrels for ageing.
Grape variety: 100% Chardonnay