Winemaker Notes
Soils rich in limestone and broken mountain rock on De Wetshof’s site-specific vineyards allow this wine to emit optimum varietal expression. An unwooded wine, Bon Vallon has a brisk and clean freshness leading into a wide spectrum of classic flavors including citrus, wild flowers and grilled nuts, with a nuanced minerality on the aftertaste.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
This lithe white has a zesty edge, with mouthwatering acidity and a salty underpinning driving notes of nectarine, honeydew, blanched almond and pink grapefruit granita.
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James Suckling
White peaches, apricots, white strawberries and lemon cream on the nose. Medium-bodied with crisp acidity. Clean and vibrant.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Bright and expressive, the 2021 Bon Vallon Chardonnay displays an open approachability, offering a fresh, mineral-driven, citrus-laced nose. Medium-bodied, the unwooded Chardonnay displays varietal purity and a focused, mineral tension. This will drink well for the next five to six years and remain food friendly. It's a delightful wine that leaves me craving oysters.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
Within the Breede River Valley in South Africa, Robertson is a warm and dry winegrowing region notable for its white wines. The region is home to an increasing number of estates and cooperatives.