2013 is the fifth vintage of The Agnes and the best yet. Complex and layered, an expressive nose of nectarine, apricot, lime and lighter, floral notes. The palate is fresh and succulent with great natural acidity and an intense fruit core.
Crystallum Wines is a boutique wine operation started in 2007 by brothers Peter-Allan and Andrew Finlayson, third generation wine producers and sons of South Africa?s Pinot Noir and Chardonnay pioneer, Peter Finlayson. They are situated in the cool Walker Bay region, on South Africa?s south coast around the town of Hermanus in the Hemel en Aarde valley.Production at Crystallum is tiny at the moment. The brother?s focus on sustainability runs from the vineyard through to the winery. A new straw.. read more
Nov 2015. Reviewer : Neal Martin. The 2014 The Agnes Chardonnay, a blend of different vineyards, has quite a refined, understated bouquet that is nicely defined with touches of flint and citrus lemon coming through with aeration. The palate is fresh and crisp, very tensile with a touch of bitter lemon on the entry. A little awkward at the moment, there is something almost Muscadet-like towards the finish, with a light sea-spray influence. Very fine.
Tasted Sept 2015 - Cool nose and a slightly sweet palate entry. Chewy and serious but real chew.
May/Jun 15. By Stephen Tanzer. Cool, discreet nose hints at menthol. Tightly wound and quite dry, with flavors of stone fruits, lemon oil and nut oils complemented by a touch of sweet oak (just 10% new). Very concentrated, tactile wine with excellent firming acidity. Finishes cool, dry, classic and long, with a lingering note of peach oil and a subtle saline character.
Blended from three vineyards in Hemel-en-Aarde & Overberg. 2014 is full-flavoured, exuberant & precise. Silky mouthfeel with vibrant limy acid conclusion. Like Clay Shales, naturally fermented & sensitively oaked.
Peter-Allan Finlayson purchases grapes from Greyton and Overberg to produce this stylish, Puligny-Montrachet-like Chardonnay. Struck match, lemon butter and patisserie flavours with a leesy, creamy mid palate and a refreshing finish. Drink: 2015-20
From three vineyards, and as with all of Crystallum's wines, it is wild fermented with no added acid. Peter-Allan used only 2nd fill barrels in this vintage, but says he would be comfortable using 10 - 15% new oak. It has a beautiful nose with gorgeous hazelnut and ripe, ripe apple fruit, a hint of the tropical - guava and pineapple - but beautifully tempered by cool citrus and salt. Delicious palate too, the lime and lemon juice clarity and the hints of fatter fruit, waxy lemon, but the oak just adding a nice spicy edge that rather pleasingly disrupts the purity of the wine, the finish showing a bit of grip and a touch of tannin to end on a serious note.
This wine was produced using the traditional method of transferring the whole grape clusters straight from harvesting into the press, running the juice off into a settling tank and then into 225 litre French oak barrels. The wine fermented in barrel using 100% native yeasts and remained there for nine months before bottling.
