Leeu Passant Stellenbosch Chardonnay 2020

Leeu Passant is the Franschhoek Winery of Mullineux & Leeu Family Wines. The Leeu Passant wines are multi-regional bottlings inspired by the classic age-worthy wines of the Cape from the 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s. These were authentic wines unique to the culture, terroir, history and tastes of the Cape, and we strive to reflect these unique factors in our wines.

This single vineyard Chardonnay is planted on the higher gravelly slopes of the Helderberg Mountain at 410 metres above sea level. The site has a maritime influence that allows us to harvest the fruit with incredible intensity of flavour and zesty freshness.

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 more than 40 days, followed by malolactic fermentation which occurred naturally. After spending 12 months on the lees, the wine was racked, blended and underwent a further 8 months’ maturation before the only sulphur addition and then bottling. This wine was aged for 12 months in 225L tight grain French oak barrels, of
which 30% was new, followed by a further 8 months’ maturation after blending.