Winemaker Notes
Very attractive notes of lemon rind, freshly cut Golden Delicious apples and melba toast invite the senses, which are further awakened by a superb minerality, racy acidity and broad brioche-like mid-palate.
The wine would pair well with lighter style seafood, poultry or vegetarian pasta dishes.
Professional Ratings
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Wine & Spirits
Great Heart is an empowerment project collectively owned by the staff at Mullineux and Leeu Family wines, led by Chris and Andrea Mullineux’s assistant winemaker, Gynore Hendricks. This chardonnay stood out for its flavor progression, bouncing from spiced poached-apple richness to fresher lime fruit in the finish. Ten months on the lees might be credited for a faint meringue-like airiness around the edges. Structured to offer direct enjoyment of the flavors right now.
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.
South Africa’s most famous wine-producing district, Stellenbosch, surrounds the historic town with the same name; fine winemaking here dates back to the late 1600s. Its valleys of granite, sandstone and alluvial loam soils between the towering blue-grey mountains of Stellenbosch, Simonsberg and Helderberg have the capacity to produce beautiful wines from many varieties. The climate is warm Mediterranean, tempered by the cool Atlantic air of nearby False Bay.
Perhaps most well-known for its Pinotage and Bordeaux blends, Stellenbosch also produces noteworthy wines from Syrah, Chenin blanc, Chardonnay and Sauvignon blanc. The district’s wards—Banghoek, Bottelary, Devon Valley, Jonkershoek Valley, Papegaaiberg, Polkadraai Hills and Simonsberg-Stellenbosch—all produce distinctive wines from vines with relatively low yields.