Richard Kershaw GPS Lower Duivenhoks River Chardonnay 2021

Richard Kershaw, a Master of Wine based in Elgin, built his GPS Series around single sites beyond his home ward, and this Chardonnay comes from one high, cool plot above the Lower Duivenhoks River in the Western Cape south coast. The appeal is site clarity: a single vineyard, farmed and vinified apart to show its own character. The south-coast climate is cool and maritime, with sea air slowing ripening so the fruit holds tension and citrus freshness, while the poor shale-based soils keep concentration high. The wine is aged eleven months in French oak barrels, a portion new, with barrel fermentation and lees ageing that add texture and integrate the wood; a measured malolactic conversion softens the acidity without blunting the wine's drive. The colour is pale straw. The nose is precise, with lemon, white peach and green apple lifted by hazelnut, subtle vanilla and a struck, flinty minerality. The palate is taut, dry and linear, the oak folded into the fruit, closing long and saline. This is Chardonnay built for the table and the cellar. Serve at 11 to 13 degrees in a white Burgundy glass.