Winemaker Notes
This classy wine has citrus blossom, flint and salinity on the nose. The palate is packed with citrus zest and crushed shells and has a textured, vibrant and long finis.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
This is the second vintage from Chris and Andrea Mullineux's Franschhoek estate, in partnership with businessman Analjit Singh. Chardonnay grapes grown in the loam rich soils of the Helderberg Mountain are vinified then matured in French oak barrels, 30% new. It has a rich and complex nose of tropical fruit, vinyl, nut, honey and a hint of struck match. In the mouth a sweet attack develops tangy and peppery characters, with lime, apple and tropical fruits cutting through the round, buttery body. Delicious. Drinking Window 2019 - 2026
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Wine Enthusiast
Light scents of hazelnut, fresh honeycomb and ginger root sit atop the fruit core of Asian pear, pineapple core and green melon, with secondary waves of sweet lime leaf and Honeycrisp apple. The balanced and focused palate shows nice precision, with bright acidity and an exuberant saline spray that carries through to the finish. Notes of lemon curd, lime pith and melon rind lead the close, which then evolves into decadent tones of lightly toasted apple skin and peach pit.
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Wine Spectator
Bright yellow apple, peach and pear flavors mingle here, with a creamy texture and a finish that glistens with honeysuckle and quinine notes. Offers lovely purity and length. Best from 2021 through 2026.
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James Suckling
Dried apricots, melon drops, vanilla, spices, cloves and nutmeg. Medium body, pretty acidity and a zesty finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A softer expression of Chardonnay on the nose with a good core of minerality and focus of pomaceous fruit and dusty citrus, the 2016 Leeu Passant Elandskloof Chardonnay reveals it is something special. On the palate, the wine shows a focused acidity and turns more to dusty green and yellow apples with subtle oak tones. The mid-palate has an elegant texture and mineral finesse that is structurally pleasing, while it elevates the back end of the palate. The finish is clean and long with an energetic and lively tension that will evolve beautifully over time. This is collectible Chardonnay with a lively acid-driven backbone, thoughtful use of French oak and a stunning interpretation of terroir.
Rating: 90+
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.