Grande Provence, Chardonnay, Franschhoek

13.5% ABV. Bright medium yellow gold. Intense ripe citrus and stone fruit notes, guava, melon, oak, spice, vanilla, and stony minerality, with medium-level acidity, and great persistence. Full-bodied, with great concentration and a creamy texture. The oak integrated better and the wine found balance after about 30 minutes. Still, like the 2013 at six or seven years old, the oak is quite dominant at this stage, and the wine should be paired with food. I will hold my bottles and …

Rounded and balanced, with peaches, a little vanilla hit, some minerality and a long tangy pink grapefruit finish.

A trip to South Africa's Coastal Region with Reni, Rainer and Bert. Day 10, Franschhoek and Stellenbosch. The beautiful, 33ha Grande Provence estate (22ha under vine) is owned by a consortium of Dutch and Belgian business people. Except for Sauvignon Blanc, Grande Provence works with low yields (on average 10t/ha for Sauvignon Blanc, only 4t/ha for Chardonnay and 5t/ha for the rest of the vineyards). Interestingly, they grow yellow mustard plants between the vines to fight nematodes and bugs. We …