False Bay Crystalline Chardonnay
£9.39
£12.52 per litre · incl. 20% VAT
Out of Stock
Unoaked Chardonnay done properly: wild-fermented, lees-aged, and shot through with flinty Cape minerality. False Bay's Crystalline strips Chardonnay back to its essentials, letting coastal Stellenbosch fruit speak for itself. Pure, textural, and seriously good value for a wine made with this much care. A brilliant introduction to the new wave of South African whites.
Not for sale to persons under 18. Adult signature required on delivery.
Our Verdict
We list a lot of South African Chardonnay, and Crystalline keeps earning its place because it punches so far above its price. For under a tenner you're getting wild ferment, hand-harvested coastal fruit, and six months on the lees: the sort of detail you'd expect on a bottle three times the price. It's our go-to recommendation for anyone who thinks they've gone off Chardonnay (they haven't; they've just been drinking the wrong ones). If you enjoy this, the Waterkloof Circle of Life White is the natural next step up.
Tasting Notes
Pour a glass and the first thing you notice is precision. The nose lifts with lemon pith, white peach and a flick of struck-flint minerality, all framed by a subtle, almost oatmeal richness from extended lees ageing. On the palate it stays taut and linear, with green apple and crisp pear cut through by saline acidity. Six months on lees adds a creamy, nutty undertow that gives the wine real texture without ever tipping into weight. The finish is long, dry and quietly insistent.
About This Wine
If your idea of Chardonnay is buttery, oaky, and Californian, this one will rearrange your thinking. Crystalline is what happens when a talented young winemaker takes coastal Stellenbosch fruit, ferments it wild in stainless steel, and lets time on the lees do the heavy lifting. No oak, no acid adjustments, no winemaking tricks: just the grape, the place, and a steady hand. Expect a glass that smells of crushed citrus pith, white peach, and struck flint, with a saline edge that hints at the cool ocean breezes rolling in off False Bay itself. The palate is taut and focused, with lees-derived nuttiness adding texture and a gentle toasty depth on the finish. It's serious without being heavy, generous without losing its nerve. Made by Nadia Barnard at Waterkloof, this is part of Paul Boutinot's mission to bottle 'real wine' at honest prices. The vines sit next door to one of Stellenbosch's most celebrated Chardonnay sites, and the fruit shows it: lower yields, naturally balanced acidity, and a purity that punches well above the price tag. Vegan-friendly and sustainably farmed, with WWF Biodiversity Champion credentials. Pour it well-chilled alongside grilled sea bass, a roast chicken with lemon and thyme, or a creamy chicken and leek pie. Delivered to your door anywhere in the UK, and at this price, worth ordering by the half-case.
Food Pairing
This is a wine built for the table. Its saline edge and lees-derived texture make it brilliant with shellfish: think grilled prawns, oysters with a squeeze of lemon, or a simple plate of dressed crab. It also handles richer fish dishes (smoked haddock fishcakes, sea bass with herb butter) and is a natural partner for goat's cheese salads or a Sunday roast chicken.
- —Grilled prawns with garlic and lemon
- —Roast chicken with tarragon
- —Smoked haddock fishcakes
- —Pan-seared sea bass with herb butter
- —Goat's cheese and beetroot salad
How to Serve
Decanting
No need to decant. A quick swirl in the glass is plenty. If the bottle has been resting cold, give it five minutes out of the fridge before pouring so the aromatics can lift.
Ageing & Cellaring
Drinking beautifully now and built to stay fresh for the next 3-4 years. Unoaked Chardonnay of this style rarely benefits from long cellaring, but a year or two will soften the acid line and let the lees-derived nutty notes deepen.
The Land
The fruit comes mainly from a single coastal vineyard in Stellenbosch, planted right next door to one of the region's most respected Chardonnay growers. Lower yields and smaller berries mean concentrated flavour and naturally bright acidity, while the cooling Atlantic influence gives the wine its flinty, mineral edge.
The Winemaking
Everything here is about restraint. Hand-picked grapes from naturally balanced, low-yielding coastal vines arrive in the cellar already singing, so the team lets wild yeasts do the work, fermenting spontaneously in stainless steel. No oak, no acid adjustments, nothing but a touch of sulphur for protection. The wine then rests on its lees for at least six months, picking up that nutty, toasty depth and creamy texture that lifts it well beyond your average unoaked Chardonnay.
About the Producer
False Bay
False Bay Vineyards is the more accessible sibling to Waterkloof, the celebrated biodynamic estate on the Schapenberg slopes. Both belong to Paul Boutinot, a winemaker who came south chasing a simple idea: that genuinely characterful wine shouldn't cost a fortune. False Bay was built to prove the point. Working with mature, naturally balanced vineyards along the cool Cape coast, the team can let the grapes do most of the talking, fermenting with wild yeasts, intervening only when absolutely necessary. The wines are made by Waterkloof's cellarmaster Nadia Barnard, whose deft hand keeps everything precise and honest. It's old-school craft at an unusually friendly price.