The Smuggler’s Boot Chardonnay 2023

The Smuggler's Boot Chardonnay is made by Richard Kershaw, one of a small number of Masters of Wine producing their own wines, in the Elgin valley of South Africa's Western Cape South Coast. Elgin is the coolest and one of the highest-altitude wine areas in the Cape, and that cool climate is central to the style: slow ripening preserves acidity and gives the wine its freshness and length rather than heavy tropical fruit. The Chardonnay is barrel fermented, a method that ferments the juice in oak so the wood integrates with the wine from the start, adding subtle toast and spice, while lees ageing and a partial malolactic conversion soften the acidity and build a creamy, savoury texture. It shows a bright colour and a taut, cool-climate profile of white peach, lemon and green apple, framed by toasted bread, almond and a restrained vanilla note. The palate is precise and mineral, the oak in support of the fruit, with a long, saline finish. Serve at 11 to 13 degrees in a large glass.