Le Riche Stellenbosch Chardonnay

Le Riche is a family run estate founded by Etienne Le Riche in 1996. Situated close to the historic town of Stellenbosch, the winery is perched on the slopes of the Heldeberg Mountain and surrounded by the majestic Hottentots Holland Mountain range.

If youre based in Stellenbosch and going to specialise in something, Cabernet is a great choice! Le Riche are known as ‘Cabernet Masters’ and rightly so. They select grapes from the best possible Stellenbosch terroirs to craft top quality Cabernets with superb cellaring potential. The estate was founded by Etienne Le Riche in 1996 and remains a family affair.

These wines are elegant and classy with fine grained tannins and subtle oak integration, and while not aiming to be Bordeaux replicas, they do have much in common with the balance and poise sometimes found in top Margaux. With most of their wines sold domestically, it’s a rare treat to find these wines on UK soils. Production is small so these wines are rare and well worth sourcing.

Le Riche work strictly with organic viticultural practices (though not certified), maintaining healthy soils and minimum spraying to ensuring our growers form part of the local Integrated Production of Wine (IPW) system. The IPW scheme, started in 1998, consists of a set of guidelines specifying good agricultural practices related to grape production (farm component), as well as a set of guidelines specifying good manufacturing practices related to wine production (winery component) and packaging activities (bottling activities). Their compliance with the IPW guidelines is assessed on an annual basis through the completion of a self-evaluation questionnaire and is independently audited on a spot check basis.

Chardonnay,

Hand selected grapes were delicately pressed as whole bunches and fermented with wild yeasts. A mixture of ceramic pots and oak barrels were used throughout the ferment and malolactic fermentation. After fermentation, the wine was allowed to age on its gross lees for 11 months before bottling. This aging occurred in a mixture of new (25%) and old French oak barrels, as well as ceramic clay pots.

With the same elegance and lightness of touch that runs through the Le Riche range, this is small hands-off production at its best.

Complex aromas of stone fruit, hazelnut and peach blossom, complemented by gently toasted oak. The savoury gently creamy palate is followed honeydew melon, ripe citrus fruit flavours. A flinty edge complements the vibrant acidity. A full flavoured, well-rounded, fresh and appetising wine with a refined finish.

Wonderful with roasted belly pork, grilled chicken, creamy pasta dishes... even sushi.