La Brune Chardonnay 2020
I quite enjoyed having to do some homework on this wine as I've never looked into the La Brune wines before.
Nico, the winemaker, is a viticulturist with many years of experience. Given his focus on only Pinot Noir and Chardonnay (thus far), it’s unsurprising to see Burgundy listed on his CV.
The Wine:
Pale gold in colour with a pronounced nose of honeysuckle, ripe yellow apples, lemon meringue pie, upside down pineapple cake, caramelised sugar, homemade vanilla bean custard, cloves, nutmeg, dried ginger, toasty campfire and smoky flint, burned butter sage and sea fog.
Dry, medium bodied, medium alcohol, high acidity, and a medium(+) finish. The palate introduces fantastic salinity, fresh grapefruit alongside the lemon, some fennel, and metallic notes.
Conclusion:
Balance (1) + Length (1) + Intensity (1) + Complexity (1) = A very good wine
And absolutely age worthy!
Vini + Viti:
The C277 clone Chardonnay grapes are sourced from 15 year old vines grown in Table Mountain sandstone soils 350m above sea level in Elgin.
50% of the grapes were destemmed and the rest whole bunch pressed. After pressing, the juice was settled for 6 hours. Spontaneous fermentation took place - 60% in stainless steel, before being moved into barrel. 10% of the wine went through malolactic conversion.
The wine was then aged for 22 months in piéce - 40% of which was new oak, the rest were 2nd and 3rd fill with no bâtonnage. The barrels are from Pierre du Bourgogne and were custom made by both Nico, the winemaker, and his Burgundian friend Bruno Lorenzon
Final thoughts
You’d think that all the butter and vanilla on the nose would offend me...but it was the complete opposite. Probably because, although pronounced, it’s not ostentatious...and the palate is still fresher and lighter.
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