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Neil Ellis Sincerely Chardonnay 2012 750ml

size
750ml
country
South Africa
appellation
Stellenbosch
Additional vintages
2016 2012
Image of bottle
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Neil Ellis Sincerely Chardonnay 2012 750ml

SKU 752049
Out of Stock
More wines available from Neil Ellis
750ml
Bottle: $18.94
Rated 89 - A bright and balanced white, with spice and stone notes underscoring melon, gooseberry, tarragon and lime...
WS
89
More Details
Winery Neil Ellis
barrel

Vintage: 2012

2012 has, so far been a positive year for wineries around the world. While it may be a little too early to speak of the wines being made in the northern hemisphere, European and North American wineries have already begun reporting that their harvesting season has been generally very good, and are predicting to continue with the kind of successes they saw in 2011. However, 2012 has been something of a late year for France, due to unpredictable weather throughout the summer, and the grapes were ripening considerably later than they did in 2011 (which was, admittedly, an exceptionally early year). French wineries are claiming, though, that this could well turn out to be advantageous, as the slow ripening will allow the resulting wines to express more flavour and features of the terroir they are grown in. The southern hemisphere has seen ideal climatic conditions in most of the key wine producing countries, and Australia and New Zealand particularly had a superb year, in particular with the Bordeaux varietal grapes that grow there and which love the humidity these countries received plenty of. Also enjoying a fantastic year for weather were wineries across Argentina and Chile, with the Mendoza region claiming that 2012 will be one of their best vintages of the past decade. Similar claims are being made across the Chilean wine regions, where Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon had an especially good year. These two grape varietals also produced characterful wines on the coastal regions of South Africa this year.
green grapes

Varietal: Chardonnay

Of all the white wine grape varietals, surely the one which has spread the furthest and is most widely appreciated is the Chardonnay. This green skinned grape is now grown all over the Old and New Worlds, from New Zealand to the Americas, from England to Chile, and is one of the first varietals people think of when considering white wine grapes. Perhaps this is because of its huge popularity which reached a peak in the 1990s, thanks to new technologies combining with traditional methods to bring the very best features out of the Chardonnay grape, and allow its unique qualities to shine through. Most fine Chardonnay wines use a process known as malolactic fermentation, wherein the malic acids in the grape juice are converted to lactic acids, allowing a creamier, buttery nature to come forward in the wine. No grape varietal is better suited to this process than Chardonnay, which manages to balance these silky, creamy notes with fresh white fruit flavors beautifully.
barrel

Region: Coastal Region

The coastal parts of South Africa, and in particular the region around Cape Town, have been important wine regions for a surprising length of time. Indeed, viticulture first began at the tip of the African continent back in the mid 17th century, when European settlers first began experimenting with the cooler and windier terroirs near the ocean, and recognizing the potential the area had for growing grapes of real character and distinction. Those early experiments slowly but surely led to a powerful wine industry, and South African wines became famous throughout Europe for their quality and big, fruity, bold flavors Today, the coastal regions of South Africa produce a huge amount of wine, made in sparkling, still and fortified styles, and utilizing a wide range of grape varietals.
fields

Country: South Africa

As geographically diverse country, with everything from lush green valleys to areas of arid desert, mountainsides and river estuaries, South Africa unsurprisingly produces a huge range of excellent wines. Regions such as the Breede River Valley consistently impress with their Semillon wines and the lush, fruity Ruby Cabernets grown and processed here, and the cooler region of Overberg is attracting much attention as a result of their silky Pinot Noir bottles. However, all over the oceanic tip of this fascinating country, traditional methods dating back over three hundred years are combining with modern technologies to produce some of the finest examples of New World wines to be found anywhere on the globe.