La Vierge Apogée Chardonnay 2022 Hemel-en-Aarde (75cl, 13%)

La Vierge Apogée Chardonnay 2022 is a white wine from the Babylon farm in Hemel-en-Aarde, Walker Bay, South Africa. It is made from clone 96 Chardonnay grown in the highest block on the estate. The grapes were picked by hand in the cool early morning. After pressing, the juice was fermented in 500-litre French oak barrels, 30% of them new. Sulphur was added at the end of alcoholic fermentation to prevent malolactic fermentation and keep the acidity lively. The wine stayed on its lees, with occasional stirring for six months, and spent 14 months in barrel in total. The nose shows minerality, citrus and yellow flowers, with creamy almond and white chocolate from the oak. The palate is full and textured, finishing clean with a mineral undertone that lingers.