Reserve Chardonnay, Lismore Estate Vineyards 2023

The 2023 Chardonnay Reserve comes from the estate. The juice was oxidatively handled and aged on the lees for 11 months in 500-liter barrels. This has a very complex bouquet with wild honey, orange pith and fine mineralité. It just soars from the glass. The palate is well balanced with fine delineation. It’s tensile, focused and vibrant, with a precise and persistent finish. If there's a better Chardonnay from the Cape this vintage, I haven’t tasted it.

The Estate Reserve only uses raw material from dry-farmed, low-yielding parcels on Samantha O’Keefe’s farm in Greyton. Aged in larger 20% new barrels with 80% malolactiv, it has appealing pear, citrus and baking spice flavours, top notes of toast and chamomile, pithy acidity and the structure to develop in bottle.