The Hemel-en-Aarde Valley is one of the most exciting places to grow Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in South Africa. Cap Maritime sits perched on top of a ridge separating the Upper Hemel-en-Aarde appellation from the Valley. It is here where we endeavour to create wines that capture the essence of their origin, while at the same time representing a style that we aspire to.
Our Chardonnay grapes were sourced from Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley vineyards planted on Table Mountain sandstone and decomposed granite. The climate is cool and temperate, where parallel mountain ranges channel ocean winds through the appellation during the summer.
The grapes were picked, hand-sorted and transported in refrigeraterd trucks to our winery in Franschhoek. Careful selection took place before whole-bunch pressing. The juice settled naturally in the tank for two days before being racked off into 40% small Burgundian 1,200L Foudre and 60% new French oak barriques where fermentation began spontaneously. Light batonnage was performed throughout the 14 months of elevage.