Could you ever imagine that the barrel-aged and creamy Chardonnays of Burgundy would one day have a strong competitor? With great ease and hand on heart, we say yes! Let's welcome The Smuggler's Boot Chardonnay, the most delicious, creamy, and buttery Chardonnay, with a passport from the southernmost tip of Africa!
The English chef Richard Kershaw, gave up his career when the wine knowledge completely sucked him in! He worked in the largest wine-producing regions of the world and 1999 he settled in Elgin, Cape Town, to dedicate himself to wine in every possible way! In 2011 he earned the title of Master of Wine, becoming one of the few Masters of Wine who actively makes wine, and is a sought-after wine judge in international competitions. He managed to make the best combinations of clonal cultivation, vintage period, soil composition, and barrel selection, as a result of which his wines are deservedly placed next to the giants of the corresponding European ones! With the Smuggler's Boot, he pays homage to the South African winemakers who hid the first vine clones in their bootleg smugglers and eventually managed to import them into the country!
The Elgin Valley is the coolest region of South Africa and Chardonnay ripens in the most ideal conditions. The harvest is done manually and 50% of the wine ferments in French oak barrels (20% new), while the remaining 50% in egg-shaped plastic tanks, which give the wine a rich body and elegant aromatic intensity. Fermentation takes place with natural yeasts and bottling with light filtration. Its classy creamy texture is due to its 8-month stay with the lees in oak barrels and the frequent batonage!
We are talking about an amazing and complex, world-class New World Chardonnay, not to be missed!
