Kershaw Wines Chardonnay Lower Duivenhoks River 2019

The British Richard Kershaw is one of those rare people who has mastered both the theoretical and practical sides of wine: he is a Master of Wine and a successful winemaker. In 1999, Richard emigrated to South Africa, learned winemaking there and started his own business in 2012.

The Kershaw Wines vineyards are located in Elgin. This wine region in the Western Cape is completely surrounded by mountains and is only 10 kilometers from the ocean. The climate is cool, with a strong difference in temperature during the day and at night: good for the development of aromas in the grapes. Kershaw's trademark is clones of vines – mainly Chardonnay and Syrah – that are completely tailored to the terroir of the plots in which he plants them. And these plots have also been very carefully selected for their location and soil composition.

In the cellar, Kershaw tries to 'disrupt' the wine as little as possible with all kinds of interventions. He comes up with smart alternatives to existing methods. For example, he uses blocks of frozen carbon dioxide to 'stir' certain delicate wines: the bubbles of the gas cause movement in the wine, without adding oxygen. Kershaw's wines are something very special: intense but elegant, complex and refreshing, with a balanced balance and a beautiful, long aftertaste.