Glenelly Estate Reserve Chardonnay 2021
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Robert
Parker -
James
Suckling
Product Details
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
The Estate Reserve Chardonnay displays a wonderful bright crisp color, with vibrant citrus, lime zest and hints of butterscotch on the nose. The palate is lush and the creamy texture is underpinned with beautiful mineral notes of toasted almond and vanilla. The finish is fresh with great minerality and with a nervous energy about it.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Bright and expressive, the 2021 Estate Reserve Chardonnay is nimble with a voluminous frame and slightly nervous nose with hints of citrus blossom. Medium to full-bodied, the Chardonnay has impeccable weight and a fine mineral tension that continues to unwind and uncoil across the mid-palate. This delightful and food-friendly wine will continue to please until the end of the decade. Give it a try. Rating:- 92+
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James Suckling
Aromas of lemon curd, flint and rosemary stem. Medium-bodied with fresh acidity and green apple and pear fruit. Nicely balanced with steady length.
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Located on the southern slopes of the Simonsberg, Glenelly is owned by May-Eliane de Lencquesaing, Bordeaux doyenne and former owner of Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande. Struck by the tremendous potential of South Africa's terroir and the beauty of the country, Mme de Lencquesaing decided to embark on a French adventure on African soil. She purchased Glenelly in 2003, and subsequently planted 66 of the property's 128 hectares to vineyards. The first estate-grown fruit came on line in 2007, and Glenelly's state-of-the-art winery building was completed in 2009. The wines are fermented naturally and made with as little intervention as possible, seeking to achieve the perfect balance of French style and South African terroir.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
South Africa’s most famous wine-producing district, Stellenbosch, surrounds the historic town with the same name; fine winemaking here dates back to the late 1600s. Its valleys of granite, sandstone and alluvial loam soils between the towering blue-grey mountains of Stellenbosch, Simonsberg and Helderberg have the capacity to produce beautiful wines from many varieties. The climate is warm Mediterranean, tempered by the cool Atlantic air of nearby False Bay.
Perhaps most well-known for its Pinotage and Bordeaux blends, Stellenbosch also produces noteworthy wines from Syrah, Chenin blanc, Chardonnay and Sauvignon blanc. The district’s wards—Banghoek, Bottelary, Devon Valley, Jonkershoek Valley, Papegaaiberg, Polkadraai Hills and Simonsberg-Stellenbosch—all produce distinctive wines from vines with relatively low yields.