Bouchard Finlayson, Crocodile’s Lair / Kaaimansgat Chardonnay, Overberg, South Africa 2018

Lots of ripe white peach and blossom aromas play with warming vanilla, smoke and toast characters, providing an inviting sensory experience. A mineral edge creeps into the palate, which is enhanced by a spicy acidity. There's noticeable oak influence, but it's integrated and serves to add complexity to the pineapple and buttery melon flavours, finishing with a nutty note. This wine has been fermented in a mixture of old and new oak, and a proportion did not go through malolactic fermentation, thus retaining some freshness. The Kaaimansgat vineyard is tucked away in a valley between mountains but is still situated at 700m elevation. This high altitude means the Chardonnay grapes ripen much later and the generally cooler climate means there is no irrigation, and the berries are small and highly concentrated. The 2018 vintage was low-yielding but consistent.