Lot presentation

Stellenbosch Glenelly Estate Reserve Chardonnay 2021

The wine

Glenelly’s fine white cuvée is made from 100% Chardonnay. After a rigorous selection process, the grapes are pressed in whole bunches. Then the cuvée undergoes a natural fermentation in French oak barrels before a 9-month maturation in 500-litre casks. In the glass it has a clear golden colour, and it has a complex nose of citrus, apple, pear lychee and rose. Its palate is powerful and creamy with a lovely acidity and notes of almond and vanilla. There is a fresh and persistent finish. The use of oak combined with beautiful fruit gives an excellent wine that can be aged for 4 to 8 years. Serve it at 12°C with a dish like veal or even a dessert like crème brûlée!

About the Producer Glenelly

After 30 years at the head of château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande in Pauillac, May de Lencquesaing decided to embark on a new wine adventure in South Africa. At the age of 78, she purchased Glenelly Estate, a 125ha farm in the heart of the iconic Stellenbosch appellation, producing wines since 17th century. There, on the lower slopes of the beautiful Simonsberg Mountains, on decomposed granite and sandstone soils, she planted her beloved red Bordeaux varietals as well as Shiraz and Chardonnay. The majority of the slopes are facing east and offer Glenelly an unusual cool climate for the region, enabling slow grape ripening. She built a state-of-the-art contemporary winery and hired winemaker Luke O'Cuinneagain, previously trained at Angelus, Screaming Eagle and Rustenberg. Today, the wines of Glenelly are internationally recognised for their great elegance and finesse, and the estate is a real tribute to the amazing dedication of its owner and all of her team.

Detailed characteristics