First Lady Chardonnay

First Lady Chardonnay

The nose on First Lady Chardonnay is floral and inviting with hints of winter melon, citrus, yellow apple, and pear. The palate is medium bodied with a creamy texture, with notes of stone fruits, apple, and yellow citrus, while the finish is crisp and clean with lovely citrus fruit.

Yellow apples, white peach, and tropical fruits on the nose lead onto pineapple, lime, and baked apples on the palate. The wine is light and crisp, supported well by the mid-palate.

The first white wine made in the First Lady range, this lively unoaked Chardonnay is versatile with an array of food pairing options.

Grapes are picked in the early hours of the morning to retain freshness and aromatics. De-stemmed and crushed straight to the press with no skin contact. Most of the fermentation takes place in stainless steel while 7% of the wine is fermented in old oak to add some depth and structure to the palate.

Warwick Estate is a family-owned and run winery. Managing Director Michael Ratcliffe is the 3rd generation family member to oversee this high quality boutique operation. From 1771 till 1902, Warwick was known as the farm ‘De Goede Sukses’. After the Anglo Boer war ended in 1902, Colonel William Alexander Gordon, Commanding Officer of the Warwickshire regiment bought the historic farm. He renamed it ‘Warwick’ as a tribute to his regiment and the rest, as they say, is history. Stan Ratcliffe purchased Warwick on April 1st 1964 after an extensive search for the best ‘terroir’ in the Cape. Together with his wife Norma, they soon realized the potential of the extraordinary property and began planting Cabernet Sauvignon. The Cabernet Sauvignon vines produced high quality grapes, which were soon in demand from neighbouring wineries. Norma became more and more interested in the making of wine and began to study the subject. Soon a cellar was in place and Norma began producing her own handcrafted wines using the Warwick grapes. Warwick Estate has implemented an (environment friendly/biological) approach to produce top quality grapes each year. A few years ago the farm started to refrain from using pre-emergent herbicide in their vineyards.

To find out more about the winery click here

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First Lady Chardonnay