Zonnebloem Chardonnay, Stellenbosch

Description

Zonnebloem Chardonnay is a white wine from the Stellenbosch wine-growing region of South Africa. It is made from 100% Chardonnay grapes sourced from low yielding, trellised vineyards in and around Stellenbosch, including Jonkershoek, Stellenbosch Kloof, Koelenhof, and Helderberg.

Zonnebloem is an historic name in the South African wine industry. The farm that would later become Zonnebloem was founded in Simondium, Paarl in 1692. In 1856, then owner Petrus Malherbe divided the farm between his two sons and William Malherbe named his allocation “Zonnebloem” which translates into English as sunflower. The winery passed through various owners and was purchased by the Furter family in 1940 and when Marie Furter took over production she became South Africa’s first female winemaker. In 1963 Zonnebloem was purchased by the large South African drinks company Distell and remains in their ownership today. Today the grapes are sourced from 330 carefully chosen plots of vines and the company produces contemporary wines with more than a nod to the classics of the past. Perhaps as an homage to the first lady wine maker of South Africa, Marie Furter, the team at Zonnebloem is all female – Cellar Master Elize Coetzee is joined by Bonny Van Niekerk and Kelly-Marie Jacobs, the red and white winemakers respectively.

As mentioned above, the fruit for the Zonnebloem Chardonnay sourced from low yielding, trellised vineyards in and around Stellenbosch, including Jonkershoek, Stellenbosch Kloof, Koelenhof, and Helderberg. The grapes from each vineyard was separately vinified. Approximately 80% of the juice was fermented on wood at 14° to 16°C. The balance was fermented, without any wood, in stainless steel tanks at 14° to 16°C. In both instances, the wine was left on the lees for seven months.