Quick 6 for International Chardonnay Day - 2021

A quick 6 pick of Chardonnay this morning ahead of International Chardonnay Day! The white grape variety with styles that vary from the creamy & wooded to the lean & sparkling. Originally birthed & mastered in Burgundy, France. But lets rather delve into something local - I believe South Africa has some of the top Chardonnay in the world & at some of the best price points that will definitely be serious value for money. 

I went through my stash over the weekend & pulled out some of my favourites. But in no time, I had too many to write about. So I decided to go with those that have a special place in my memory, so I settled on a quick 6. In no particular order (because each one is a pure beauty in it's own way):

Van Loveren - 2018 Christina 

Full bodied with creamy textures & hints at oak. Typical citrus notes accompanied by those buttery aromas. A wine that goes with so much. I am a lover of carrot cake and some of the best carrot I've ever had was that which my Gran baked when I was younger. Rich & bold with creamy frosting. The roasted pecan nuts adding something that reminds me of hints of oak. An unusual but unique pairing. 

Quoin Rock - Chardonnay
I was fortunate enough to have lunch at the estate on a #WineRoutingWithLloyd trip that was absolutely phenomenal. It's one experience from that tip that to this day still stands out. The pairing that stood out the most, was the Chardonnay with a Pickled King Oyster Mushroom. Complementary & contrasting flavours that combine to bring out the best in both the wine & the dish. Creaminess of the mushroom contrasting against the light citrus notes of the wine. The wine finishing off elegantly leaving you wanting more. 

Ataraxia - 2018 Chardonnay

If you've never been to Upper Hemel-en-Aarde, I highly recommend it! This tasting room or 'Wine Lounge' is situated on a hill at the base of Babel mountain & most people initially see it and think it is a chapel of sort. It is exquisite. My memory here is from sipping on a glass of Chardonnay whilst in conversation with winemaker, Kevin Grant & then getting to ring the tower bell on a #WineRoutingWithLloyd trip. (See it here.) This Chardonnay is like no other with a minerality that mimics the terroir it's been grown in. A freshness of citrus accompanied with oakiness that rounds of with a smooth finish.

Creation - 2018 Reserve Chardonnay
Chardonnay makes a very good breakfast wine in my opinion. The creamy textures of eggs benedict with a fresh hollandaise match up perfectly with a big bold glass of slightly chilled Chardonnay. At Creation - they offer a very affordable "Brunch Pairing." (Check out more of it here.) This is a fragrant Chardonnay with lemon blossoms combined with honeycomb. Further on the nose - grapefruit & a touch of cinnamon. Bold & creamy, yet soft & elegant with a delightful Upper Hemel-en-Aarde minerality that finishes off & lingers just long enough until the next sip. 

La Motte - 2017 Chardonnay
Around 13 years ago I went on holiday to visit family in Cape Town & on a day trip to Franschhoek, La Motte was the very first wine farm that I ever visited. So it will always stand out in my memory as one of those special places that opened up the world of wine for me. This Chardonnay is a medium/full bodied glass full of citrus notes with hints at white peaches & oak. Finishing off with a smooth freshness. A lovely wine to accompany fresh seafood or on it's own in every season. 

La Bri - 2016 Chardonnay
La Bri is where my love for Chardonnay originates. Years ago, at a tasting up in Pretoria I met winemaker, Irene. Initially I told her that I only drank Sauvignon Blanc - but she challenged me to give her Chardonnay a go. This beauty is clear & hints at pineapples, white peaches & creamy lemons. The finish is elegant & smooth whilst a nuttiness of fresh biscuits lingers a while longer. Whilst explaining the flavours & aromas that I noted, something in that moment just hit home & I knew I was missing out on Chardonnay. 

So many more memories accompanied by a good glass of Chardonnay. You should be exploring your palate & giving them all a go this #ChardonnayDay! 

#WineRoutingWithLloyd - Ataraxia Wines

Ataraxia - a Greek philosophy term that is used to describe a lucid state of robust equanimity, that is characterised by ongoing freedom from any distress & worry.

And when you arrive at Ataraxia, you can just see & feel why this name is perfectly suited. 

The estate sits on what I believe is a heavenly stretch of land just beneath the peak of the Babylon's Tower mountain range, with a very interesting mix of terroirs to work with. 

I sat down with Kevin Grant, winemaker at Ataraxia & I had one of the most incredible wine tasting experiences. We spoke not only about wine, but also food, travel, reading & life in general. I felt so at home there on the couch in the tasting room, that I honestly didn't want to leave 3.5 hours later.

One very interesting comment that Kevin Grant made, was that he makes white wine & red wine. And that it just so happens that the Chardonnay & Pinot Noir are the 2 cultivars that are the expressions of those red & white wines. But only because he went back to the soil to see exactly what would work best in what he has on the estate, & that dictated what he would plant. Everything that ends up in a bottle of Ataraxia, starts with what is in the soil. The wine is a pure expression of the soil that it is grown in. 

The Ataraxia mission is to get the dirt into the bottle with minimal intervention. 

So, if you've been following my journey, then you know that I am a lover of a Wooded Chardonnay. 

In the words of Kevin Grant - "The most accurate & faithful way possible, our unapologetically wooded white wine mirrors the terroir in which our Chardonnay vines are grown." This is probably one of the best Chardonnay's that I have ever been exposed to. A beautiful complex wine with lots of body that is graceful. Intense fruit flavours intertwined with a beautiful creaminess. A 100% barrel femented beauty!

Then Kevin Grant took out a bottle with no label. It was the 2017 Pinot Noir that had been bottled in January & this was the very first bottle that had been opened for the public. How cool to sit there & literally be the first person in the world to get to drink a glass of the the 2017 Pinot Noir with the winemaker himself.

The wooded red wine, again, is made from a grape that is most suited to express the terroir. It just so happens to be a Pinot Noir. These grapes are the last to be picked in the Hemel-en-Aarde valley. With a glass of transparent red wine that seems to reflect the light, the nose promises a blend of ripe red cherries & fresh earth & a touch of that oak. All of which follow through on the palate sensually as a slightly more medium bodied wine that hits all the right points. A soft fruit aftertaste in the finish makes it a wine that I could drink every day. 

Lastly I need to mention this tasting room, which has aptly been named the Wine Lounge. It is possibly one of the most spectacular & dramatic positions, that has been built in the style of a chapel on top of a hill under the Babylon's Tower peak. It stands out as this incredible little building on the hill that you can spot from a distance. 

First time visitors also get to ring the bell announcing that they have just had their first tasting at Ataraxia. (I'm sure it won't be the last either though.) Check out me ringing the bell here.

Check out Ataraxia here.