Crystallum, `Clay Shales` Hemel-en-Aarde Chardonnay

Crystallum is a small Hemel-en-Aarde winery, established in 2007 by brothers Peter-Allan and Andrew Finlayson. Their father Peter was a pioneer in the production of cool-climate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir at Bouchard Finlayson, so after university, it seemed only natural for the brothers to return home and source fruit from the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley to create their own label.

Today, Crystallum is one of South Africa’s most highly regarded wineries and is at the forefront of the ‘New Wave’ movement. In 2021 Peter-Allan was named Tim Atkin MW’s ‘South African Winemaker of the Year’. He is always on the lookout for new vineyards and with each vintage he strives to make even better wines. The winemaking at Crystallum has evolved over the years, with all the wines now fermented with indigenous yeasts and the use of new oak reduced to preserve the purity of fruit.

‘The Agnes’ Chardonnay is a barrel-fermented blend from different vineyards, in the valleys inland from the coastal town of Hermanus. It boasts aromas of white peach, green apple, butterscotch and a pleasant hint of gunflint. The single-vineyard ‘Clay Shales’ is in a cool-climate area just outside the Hemel-en-Aarde, which gives the wine lovely acid and balance, while the indigenous yeast fermentation adds superb texture. This is undoubtedly one of South Africa’s best Chardonnays. The ‘Ferrum’ Chardonnay is Crystallum’s latest single vineyard wine. The fruit is sourced near the Clay Shales vineyard and planted on iron-rich soils that naturally limit vigour, producing intensely concentrated fruit.

The ‘Peter Max’ is made with fruit from five different vineyards. These include two in the Hemel-en-Aarde, one near Clay Shales, one outside Villiersdorp and a new high-elevation sit, inland. Peter-Allan uses about 50% whole bunch and indigenous yeast fermentation, followed by a reasonably long maceration to create a wine with lifted aromatics, lovely grainy tannins, as well as excellent balance and length. The ‘Bonafide’ is sourced from a single site with heavy clay and decomposed shales. These heavy soils stress the vines, resulting in a wine with great concentration and structured tannins, balanced by elegant fruit and bright acidity, typical of the Hemel-en-Aarde region. The ‘Cuvée Cinéma’ hails from a low-yielding single vineyard in Hemel-en-Aarde, planted 300 metres above sea level and five kilometres from the coast. It is ripe and delicious, with dark fruit character and extra depth setting it apart from the ‘Peter Max’. The ‘Mabalel’ Pinot Noir, from a vineyard planted 700 metres above sea level in the Villiersdorp area, has lovely ripe and vibrant fruit with great intensity and freshness.