A new addition to our portfolio, made by one of the few MWs making his own wine in the world – Kershaw Wines, ‘Clonal Selection’, Elgin, Chardonnay 2018. Awarded 92 points by Tim Atkin, the grapes for this wine come from eight to 10 small parcels of vineyards in several locations in the Elgin Valley. Elgin is the coolest wine region in South Africa and is situated on an inland, hexagonal-shaped plateau, at an altitude of 300 metres.

In a nutshell

A restrained, mineral style focussed on elegance with a white fruit character, a touch of oatmeal and delicate oak spice notes.

The producer

Made in tiny quantities, Richard Kershaw MW’s wines are always in high demand. Born in Sheffield, Richard trained and worked as a chef before discovering wine. After extensive travelling he settled in South Africa in 1999, and by 2009 he was Group Winemaker at Mulderbosch and Kanu. He established Richard Kershaw Wines in 2012, specialising in the cool-climate wines of Elgin. Being one of the few MW’s to make his own wine, he uses his vast knowledge to craft stunning wines that are easily a match for some of the world’s very best wines.

The wine

The grapes were hand-picked in the early autumnal mornings and were gently whole bunch pressed up to a maximum of 0.6 bar or until a low juice recovery of 615 litres per tonne was obtained. The juice was transferred via gravity directly to barrel, without the use of pumps. The unclarified juice underwent spontaneous fermentation with wild yeasts. Malolactic conversion was discouraged, retaining a crisp style. The wine matured in Burgundian French oak for 11 months in total, of which 39.4% was new oak; and of that 82.2% was aged in 228 litre barriques and 17.8% in 500 litre casks, before racking, blending and bottling.