CAPE OF GOOD HOPE SERRURIA CHARDONNAY 2025

Lemon and grapefruit zest aromas with a dusty flint edge. Those same flavours immediately announce themselves on the palate, bright, tangy and vivacious. The interplay of fruit and zingy acid is beautifully harmonious and well judged. Underpinning it all is a structured, subtle lees depth which lends both body and length to the succulent mouthful.

Clean, crisp lemon sherbet zest and biscuit nose. The palate follows the same track: vibrant, crisp, clean and tangy with bright freshness. Focused and poised with gentle but beguiling flavours of succulent lemon sherbet and understated trace of orange marmalade before a richer, rewarding, broad creamy toast, biscuit and brioche note from time on lees becomes apparent. Persistent dry tail.

A gentle florality adds to the more prominent stonefruit and light touch of honey on the nose. The mouth delivers a veritable fruit salad: flavours of melon, nectarine, quince and apricot intermingle seamlessly. Delightful succulence and freshness from appropriate acidity but there is a broad, creamy lees undertone that adds texture and breadth to the tasty mouthful. Good composure and structure only add to the enjoyment, as does a delicate citrus pith nuance which is apparent on the long, lingering aftertaste.

Both the nose and palate of this wine impress with abundance: a plethora of aromas and flavours – but nothing dominates. Whiffs of marmalade, lime zest, cream and nutty cashew and macadamia with an edge of dust and flint. The palate replicates those in flavour form, along with roasted or grilled peach, eucalyptus honey and brûléed orange. Despite this melange, the wine is structured and harmonious, yet supple and rounded in its textured, layered mouthfeel. Complex, certainly, but elegant, graceful and sophisticated with impressive poise throughout. The use of lees and oak aging lends additional dimension and interest and only means that the blend will age with distinction.