South Africa: Baleia Estate - Chardonnay 2022, Lower Duiwenshoks River, Western Cape

Read Alex's Producer Profile on Baleia

Grape variety: 100% Chardonnay. 13.5% alcohol. 

Pioneering boutique producer Baleia was established in 2009 by the Joubert family; Baleia meaning whale in Portuguese.

The family are what's known as 'terroir hunters', in that they embarked on a mission to unearth new winegrowing areas of the Cape. Some might call them mavericks!

Baleia is thus the only producer in the Lower Duiwenshoks River region, a stone's throw from the Indian Ocean (St Sebastian Bay, known as the whale nursery of South Africa), around a 4.5 hr drive east of Cape Town. 

Baleia is one of very few wineries this far east. What attracted them to this rugged, remote location? One word: limestone. Rare in SA. Soils rich in minerals, high in carbonates and thus high in pH (like many of the soils in Northern France & England!).

Somewhat counter-intuitively, high pH soils result in low pH wines, these being wines with great acidity, poise, and ageability. Useful attributes given we are seeing less of this in many regions these days due to rising temperatures in more traditional winegrowing areas.

Baleia is on ideal Chardonnay territory, clearly evident in this effff-ing brilliant, lightly oaked, 'coastal' version. To me it has a style all of its own: there's a touch of something dairy on the finish, a little like crème fraîche. Although blind I might have said it was Côte d'Or, meaning serious white burgundy.

If you consider, then, that this is akin to a decent producer's entry-level Bourgogne Blanc, then it might just be the steal of the century. This is a great find - thank me later. 

Food pairing:

Serve with white meat dishes - e.g. citrus chicken - seafood, pasta, risottos, creamy cheeses, and lightly spiced dishes; will be great with dishes involving mushrooms and truffle. It's refreshing and uplifting enough to be lovely just on its own, too. 

What the critics say:

90 points: - highly recommended - "chalky, focused, and bright" - Tom Cannavan - 90 points is a particularly high score for a wine at this price level. 

Jancis Robinson, Master of Wine: "Definitely a producer to watch".