Hemel-en-Aarde Valley 'Ridge' Chardonnay

If you find yourself on the southern coast of South Africa, driving east on the R43 towards the whale-watching town of Hermanus, and you were to blink, you might miss the turn-off to the narrow Hemel-en-Aarde (Afrikaans for "Heaven and Earth") Valley, which opens to the Southern Atlantic Ocean and a 2,600-mile unobstructed sightline to the Antarctic Coast. The cool to cold ocean breezes allow for this little valley to produce some of the best (and in some cases, only) cool climate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay on the African Continent. 

Hannes Storm had been working in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley winemaking scene for 12 vintages, when he discovered two tiny parcels of land with exceptional soils, one at each end of the valley. He planted to sites with Pinot Noir in 2008 and launched his maiden 2012 vintage in 2014, after having been bottle-matured for 18 months, and since that time, Storm Wines has continued to make waves for their focused, single-site Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays.

Their 'Ridge' Chardonnay comes from a gentle slope in the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge. It was wild fermented, with spontaneous malolactic fermentations in barrel, and aged for 11 months in 228L spent French oak.

It's taught, tight, and chiseled, with nectarines, other citrus fruits, and a hint of crème fraîche with a refreshing and persistent finish. 

13.23% ABV