Introduction
The most important wine regions of South Africa are located in the south western part of the country near Cape Town, where you have the famous areas of Stellenbosch (see picture) and Paarl. South African Chardonnay is fruity, rich, round with a firm taste. In the western part of Stellenbosch the sandy soil is more suitable for white grape varieties and Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc are planted widely here. These wines contain fresh accents and fruity tastes. On the higher cool slopes of Paarl Chardonnay has been planted, which produces elegant, sophisticated yet spicy white wines.
I will give you here detailed information on some of the excellent Chardonnays in my South Africa Chardonnay reviews and rating below. They are all deliverable through Wine.com, USA’s number one wine retailer, which can be accessed through the links on this page.
For an explanation of the ratings provided below, please click here.
Introduction to Wine.com (the number 1 wine retailer by revenue)
Our mission is to promote the wine lifestyle, through innovation. Head-quartered in San Francisco, right between California’s wine country and Silicon Valley, we’re passionate about using technology to bring you the world of wine at your fingertips.
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The average grocery store carries 600 wines and the average wine shop carries 1,200. Wine.com offers you over 10,000 wines every year from over 100 appellations and 50 grape varietals. Our available inventory is well over a million bottles. Get the best wines at Wine.com right here:
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What do the ratings mean?
Score | Explanation |
---|---|
95–100 | A classic great wine |
90–94 | An outstanding wine of superior character and style |
85–89 | A very good wine with special qualities |
80-84 | A good solid, well-made wine |
75–79 | A mediocre wine, drinkable but may have minor flaws |
50–74 | Not recommended |
The best selling wines you need to try:
1) Product: Meerlust Chardonnay
Where to buy best: Wine.com
Vintage: 2011
Alcohol: 13.7%
Bottle: 750 ml
Location: Meerlust, Stellenbosch
Rating: 89/100
Price: $22.99
Wine Tasting Notes
The wine is very bright, a polished platinum with green, vivacious hue. There is a complex, appealing nose with quince, citrus and floral notes developing into lemon cream, oatmeal and marzipan richness. On the palate the wine is full-bodied and generous, but still balanced by crisp acidity. There is ripe tropical fruit and creaminess balanced by a pure minerality typical of the variety. The wine has a long, very pleasant and lingering finish indicating the richness and persistence of the vintage.
This wine pairs beautifully with grilled fish and red and white meat.
Wine Makers Notes
Meerlust is one of South Africa’s most famous and historical wine estates. The land where the farm is now situated was originally owned by a powerful and wealthy free burgher named Henning Huising. After his death in 1713 the estate passed through many hands until it was bought in 1756 by Johannes Albertus Myburgh – and has remained in the Myburgh family ever since.
Nicholaas Myburgh (7th generation of the Myburgh family, and father of present owner Hannes Myburgh) took over the farm in 1950, but the condition of the property had declined severely from its 18th century splendor. Nicolaas set about an extensive restoration of both the buildings and the vineyards. One of his first projects was the construction of a damn that allows for irrigation in exceptionally dry years, but is usually used only after the vintage. He also replanted the vineyards with mainly red varietals.
The farm is approximately 15 kilometers outside Stellenbosch, and is the Stellenbosch estate nearest the Indian Ocean (the name Meerlust is of German origin, and translates to “pleasure of the sea”). The cooling breezes off False Bay allow a slower, steadier ripening period for the grapes. This translates to less loss of fruit aromas, and there is also a lesser risk of a crop being ruined in the event of a sudden, dramatic rise in temperature.
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2) Product: Riebeek Cellars Chardonnay
Where to buy best: Wine.com
Vintage: 2014
Alcohol: 14%
Bottle: 750 ml
Location: Riebeek Valley, Swartland
Rating: 87/100
Price $13.99
Wine Tasting Notes
This unoaked Chardonnay is an accessible wine with the body of the Chardonnay grape but without the oak and buttery flavours often associated with this cultivar. The colour is a brilliant green-gold and the style is dry yet fruity. The nose has pronounced tropical flavours following through onto a palate with a well-rounded, lingering citrus finish.
Wine Makers Notes
Nestled in the picturesque Riebeek Valley, tucked up against the slopes of the majestic Kasteelberg, lies Riebeek Cellars.
This medium-sized winery on the western coast of the Cape Province of South Africa sources its grapes from the fertile Riebeek Valley and the slopes of the mountain where the climate is very similar to the Mediterranean. Through the years as vineyard practices developed, cultivars were planted in soil and at slopes best suited to them. These well-tended vineyards enable the production of high quality wines which makes Riebeek Cellars the choice of wine buyers internationally.
Buy this great wine on line and save here by clicking the banner below and go to wine>chardonnay>s-africa.
3) Product: Mulderbosch Chardonnay
Where to buy best: Wine.com
Vintage: 2011
Alcohol: 13.5%
Bottle: 750 ml
Location: Mulderbosch, Stellenbosch
Rating: 87/100
Price: $18.99
Wine Tasting Notes
Pale straw in appearance with green hues. The complex nose exudes ripe apricots, freshly shelled almonds, subtle oakspice and delicate frangpani leading onto a richly layered palate bursting with flavour. The creamy, velvety mouth feel is offset by racy mineral freshness which persists long into the finish.
Wine Makers Notes
Widely recognized as one of South Africa’s most iconic producers, Mulderbosch is well-known for its various wines and is located east of Cape Town in the Stellenbosch Hills. Stellenbosch has a Mediterranean climate that is largely impacted by the confluence of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, with long, warm summers and cool windy afternoons. Recently acquired by Charles Banks, an American, Mulderbosch has entered an exciting new era of quality. A newly-assembled team promises to re-introduce wine lovers to the many charms of this approachable, easy-drinking, collection of affordable, fun wines. South Africa provokes an unbelievable platform for making some of the best white wine values in the world.
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4) Product: De Wetshof Limestone Hill Chardonnay
Where to buy best: Wine.com
Vintage: 2015
Alcohol: 14%
Bottle: 750 ml
Location: Breede Rivier
Rating: 89/100
Price: $15.99
Wine Tasting Notes
Heavy clay soils rich in limestone allow this Chardonnay to emit optimum varietal expression in a cloak of rich complexity.An un-wooded wine, Limestone Hill has notes of grapefruit and nuts, with the complexity balanced by a nuanced elegance ending with a delicate ripeness.
Wine Makers Notes
De Wetshof is a well-established top Burgundian style winery based in Robertson (160km from Cape Town). Owner Danie De Wet is the pioneer of Chardonnay in South Africa, creating a wide range of styles (unwooded and wooded).
Danie began his winemaking career after studying at Geisenheim in Germany, returning to South Africa in the early 1970s to work alongside his father who began the De Wetshof Estate. Over the years, careful planning has gone into soil mapping the estate’s vineyards to identify the ideal terroir for the various varietals Danie nurtures both in the alluvial soils near the Breede River, as well as the lime rich slopes stretching up from the river. The Estate has become renowned for its elegant, award-winning wines and its innovative and advanced used of technology in the vineyard and cellar.
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Please feel free to leave a comment and/or ask a question and I will be back within 24 hours.
Please note that the category World best Chardonnays, contains more reviews of Chardonnay wines from the best regions in the world. If you have any questions, please use the comment box and I will be back to you within 24 hours.
I’ve checked back a couple times now and each time i learn something new! i have even shared this site to my girlfriends dad, he is big into wine and makes his own at her house!
Thanks Shaun, I you ever have any questions, just leave a comment and I will get back to you. Cheers, Jerry
Hi Jerry
Some great wines you reviewed from SA. There is such a great variety to choose from. There is also a great variety of beer that one can have here.
Can’t wait to read your next one 🙂
Thanks Viljoen, you are right, there is a great variety and this is one of the reasons I started this site. You can never drink them all, so you better make the best choice. This is why I hope that I can get people together here and exchange valuable information about the Chardonnays they are drinking. This might open the way to find the best ones, not necessarily the most expensive ones, around. Cheers, Jerry
hi Jerry
You got me there, I love South African wines, especially Chardonnay! So perfect article for me! I will be checking those out. I do like a fruity chardonnay so the Rustenberg chardonnay seems perfect for me with its flavor of apricot and orange peel. and the web price is reasonable. Thanks for your thorough recommendations!
Thanks Emily, I am glad you liked it and I hope you will visit again. Feel free to let me know about the Chardonnays you like and as you might have seen, you can also rate them yourself quite easily. Cheers, Jerry