Chardonnay, Vrede, Hemel en Aarde, 2024
Typically the more giving of the two Chardonnays, Vrede offers ripe orchard fruits, citrus and a trace of white honey, complimenting a touch of soft nectarine. Tensile and fine and a lovely fruit driven Chardonnay carried at just 12.5% alcohol. 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. Ageing took place 25% new French barrique over 11 months. Since 2022, all wines are closed with DIAM corks.
critic reviews
In the bottle with the white wax capsule, the Storm 2024 Hemel-en-Aarde Valley Chardonnay Vrede leans into a pithy citrus profile with yellow stone fruit and a medium-rich texture. This release maintains satisfying breadth and approachability. Seventy-five percent of the wine undergoes malolactic fermentation and ages in French oak for 11 months, with 31% new oak. The fruit is sourced from a gentle north-facing slope planted on low-vigor stony Bokkeveld shale, where maritime breezes from Walker Bay moderate ripening and sustain freshness. Production is 4,380 bottles.