This Leeu Passant Chardonnay from Stellenbosch, South Africa expresses the region's vibrant sunshine and maritime climate. Aromas of yellow grapefruit and citrus come alive on the nose, while the palate offers lime, stone-fruit, and lemon curd notes. A delicate touch of salinity, a silky mouthfeel, and refreshing acidity make this a balanced and complex wine with a long finish.

About the Producer

These wines are made at Leeu Estates in Franschhoek, which was founded by Analjit Singh. The partnership with Chris and Andrea Mullineux started in 2013 when Analjit, who had visited South Africa for the first time in 2010 for the FIFA World Cup, bought into Mullineux. Chris and Andrea were brought in as winemakers at Leeu Estates, enabling them to work with fruit from Franschhoek, Stellenbosch and other regions beyond Swartland. “Rosa Kruger, our viticulturalist, had for years been enthusing to us about various parcels of fruit, but as they were outside the Swartland, we couldn’t use them in Mullineux,” explains Chris. Rosa Kruger, named ‘the queen of the Cape’s old vines’ by Tim Atkin MW, has been almost single-handedly responsible for finding and saving many of the Cape’s most venerable vineyards.

Vineyard and Winery

This Chardonnay comes from a single vineyard planted on the higher slopes of Helderberg Mountain. Located just 4km from the ocean, the site has a pronounced maritime influence, which extends the growing season to produce fruit with incredible intensity of flavour and balancing, zesty acidity. The soils are a combination of decomposed sandstone and gravel-clay which result in rich mouthfeel and texture.

The grapes were whole-bunch pressed and the juice was allowed to settle overnight. The aerated must was then racked to barrel for primary fermentation, which lasted for more than 40 days, followed by malolactic fermentation, both of which occurred naturally. After spending 12 months on the lees in 225L tight grain French oak barrels (30% new), the wine was racked, blended, and underwent a further 8 months ageing prior to bottling.