Storm Wines

Chardonnay, Vrede, Hemel en Aarde, 2023

Name: Chardonnay, Vrede, Hemel en Aarde
Brand: Storm Wines
Price: 40.45 GBP

95+/100

Robert Parker Wine Advocate

93/100

Vinous

Available Vintages

all 2020 2021 2023

delivery

in bond

portfolio

2023
75cl
DP
£40.45
2023
75cl
DP
£40.45

Justerini & Brooks Tasting note

Stylish and smooth in texture, offering full white fruits and touches of peach cream and stones, Vrede was picked early, before the rains and aged for a year in barrique, roughly a third new. Vrede Chardonnay – or Peace Chardonnay – hails from a northeast-facing slope in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley with low-vigour, stony, clay-rich Bokkeveld shale soil.

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GUARANTEED PROVENANCE

Provenance in fine wine

When it comes to purchasing wine, provenance is of utmost importance. A wine’s history – where it’s sourced from and how it’s been stored – can have an enormous influence on the eventual enjoyment it provides. At Justerini & Brooks, we can trace nearly every case back to the domaine, estate or Château it originally came from; we ship from over 200 wine producers throughout the world.

Wines not bought directly from the vineyard are either sourced from trusted suppliers, with whom we share the same philosophy and rigour in buying, or from our own network of Cellarers customers. These customers’ wines are stored in optimal conditions in Octavian Corsham and, in the vast majority of cases, have been stored by us since the wine was first shipped. We do not purchase wine from auctions.

We feel it is equally important to for our customers that the case they buy and leave in storage with us is exactly the same case they subsequently have delivered. This may sound obvious and straightforward, yet we are one of very few merchants to have taken measures to ensure this.

We have created a system where every case is independent, thereby ensuring a trail of ownership and peace of mind for every customer.

The Journey

Justerinis ensures that every case of wine stored with Cellarers (Wines) Ltd has a unique identifier and customer’s name, almost unheard of in the industry as it is expensive to administer. These details are printed and placed on every case which is logged and recorded under your account name and kept in the world’s most renowned storage facility, Octavian Corsham.

This information is sent from our systems to the warehouse every day to ensure the trail of ownership is verified and upheld.

While customer reserves are stored in Corsham, our physical stocks are kept in Hoddesdon, further providing a geographical separation between customers’ wines with Cellarers and Justerinis’ own stock.

Further Reassurance

Cellarers (Wines) Ltd is a legally separate limited company from Justerini & Brooks which currently holds approximately £450 million worth of customer reserves. It is fully insured to catastrophic loss. Many merchants will state that wine in their care is fully insured, but in reality this is on an individual case basis with insufficient cover for total loss as this is prohibitively expensive. The cover provided by Octavian and Justerini & Brooks is unmatched.

Cellarers (Wines) Ltd is audited by PwC every year.

Critic Reviews

95+/100

Monica Larner,

Robert Parker Wine Advocate

The Storm 2023 Hemel-En-Aarde Valley Chardonnay Vrede comes from a site a mere 1.3 kilometers from the cool Atlantic Ocean. "This is a big wine in a small package," says winemaker and proprietor Hannes Storm. It reveals tight phenolic grip and a richer style with citrus marmalade and yellow orchard fruits. You practically taste salt crystals on thickened grape skins. It offers terrific length thanks to that extra structure, finishes dry and closes with flinty mineral sensations. The 2023 vintage was rainy. Hannes Storm harvested on a Friday, and a heavy storm the next day dropped five inches of rain, causing flooding and visible erosion in the surrounding mountains.

drinking window 2025 - 2037

date of review 06/2025

93/100

Neal Martin,

Vinous

The 2023 Chardonnay Vrede includes 20% whole bunch and matured in 35% new French oak. A little more precise and mineral-driven, it has a slightly earthier and more resinous bouquet than the Ridge. Crisp and tensile, the palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity. A twist of lemon rind lends energy on the finish. Highly recommended.

drinking window 2025 - 2035

date of review 09/2024

product details

Specifications

Country:

South Africa

Region:

Western Cape

Appellation:

Hemel en Aarde Valley

Producer:

Storm Wines

style:

White Wine

Grape Variety:

Chardonnay

abv:

13%

allergen information

This product may contain sulphites. Full allergen information is available upon request, please call our Customer Relations Team on +44 (0)20 7484 6430.