At Môreson Wines we are committed to growing and producing world class Chardonnay.
Môreson Mercator Premium Chardonnay 2014 recently took home five-stars in the annual Platter’s by Diners Club South African Wine Guide and is officially recognised as one of the very best Chardonnays in South Africa. Read more about that here.
All of the Chardonnay wines produced are grown exclusively on our estate. Currently we grow just over 20 hectares of Chardonnay with a focus on producing wines that not only express our distinct sense of place but also wines that convey the character profiles of each individual clone.
What are clones of Chardonnay you may ask?
Clones are deliberate selections of grapevines that exhibit desirable traits such as:
- Good yields
- Grape disease resistance
- Great berry analysis (sugar, pH and acidity)
- Suitability to terroir (climate and soil)
Currently we boast the most Chardonnay clones planted for a single producer in South Africa. We grow 14 various Chardonnay clones that have been selected for their ability to express unique aromatic and palate profiles. Some clones are sparkling wine specific while others are still wine specific. In certain cases, you obtain dual clones, which can be used for both sparkling wine and still wine production. Many of our Chardonnay wines are clone specific and in certain cases are only produced from a single vineyard or single clone. These wines are very special in that they display consistency year on year and are only influenced by vintage.
The first planting of Chardonnay took place in the Winter of 1998 with a 2.42 hectare vineyard of clone CY 277. This vineyard still exists today and is now the 3rd oldest Chardonnay vineyard in South Africa. We still produce wine from this vineyard which can be tasted in our Moreson Solitaire Blanc de blancs.
Today we produce 8 different Chardonnay wines that are expressed as various winemaking styles. Our goal each time is to create a unique and out the box experience for each particular product.
We have selected and packaged the best examples of our Chardonnay for you to taste and take home. All these wines are a result of the relentless effort and collaborative working relationship between each person who works on Moreson. We hope that you enjoy drinking these wines just as much as we enjoyed creating them for you.