Kruger Family Wines Sans Chene Chardonnay 2019 Bottle size: 750ml

Their newly bottled and recently released Sans Chêne Chardonnay is an effort to silence those who think of 'unoaked' Chardonnay to be of lesser quality than it's wooded family members.

Partnering with Johan Van Zyl from the farm Heidedal in the high mountains of the Piekenierskloof Valley, they put much effort into this vineyard and winemaking to produce a very individually styled wine. The grapes are grown on 700 meters above sea level on decomposed granite soils and were picked mid February from a mature 25+ year old vineyard.

In the winery they did whole bunch pressing straight to Stainless Steel (60%) and Concrete Egg (40%), without any additions - natural fermentation started slowly after five days and completed in 28 days after which the wine spent 5 months on the gross lees before preparing (with minimum intervention) for bottling.

The result is an honest wine and true to Chardonnay – reflecting where it comes from.

Tasting notes:
'Now out on his own after leaving Sterhuis, Johan Kruger is now making a number of wines across the Western Cape. This is a youthful, appealing, peardroppy Chardonnay made, as its label informs you, with no oak. Stone fruit sweetness and the higher altitude acidity of Piekenierskloof complete the picture. 2017-20.' – Tim Atkin, SA Special Report 2017, 90/100