Description
“CELLAR INFORMATION The wine spends 9 months in French oak barrels, 50% new oak. VINEYARD INFORMATION Winter started later and was warmer than normal but rainfall was good
during the season. Above average temperatures in July resulted in uneven bud break and smaller berries on certain cultivars. Temperature fluctuations in September and October resulted in uneven bunches however weather conditions improved in November. A warmer February resulted in earlier harvesting of certain cultivars. Rain and cool conditions in March slowed down ripening of red wine varietals, which resulted in a later harvest at relatively lower sugar levels. “
Reviews
Greg Sherwood 95
"Of the three Chardonnays produced in the Uva Mira range, the Single Tree Chardonnay is often one of the most Burgundian and intense wines in their offering. Often said to carry a little more newer oak than the other cuvees, this 2019 is simply a pristine chiselled work of art, showing beautiful aromatics of lemon biscuits, wet hay, pineapple pastille and white citrus with just the faintest hint of leesy oatmeal and savoury vanilla pod spice. Throughout the palate, a racy vein of salinity and acidity invigorates the wine lending extra tension, linearity and freshness. But it is perhaps the nutty, stony limestone minerality that makes tasters offer up so many comparisons with topflight Puligny Montrachet or Chassagne Montrachet. Indeed, this is certainly not a wine I would want to be blinded on as I would probably hedge my bets and opt for a premium domaine white Burgundy. Intense and fresh without being tart, concentrated and ripe without being weighty, this is a beautifully refined, complex expression of Chardonnay. Drink now and over the next 6 to 8+ years." Greg Sherwood MW [Greg Sherwood, 01/03/2023]
Producer Profile
Given owner Toby Venter’s assumed need for speed, as CEO of LSM Distributors, responsible for Porsche and Lamborghini in South Africa, as well as the owners of Kyalami race track, his purchase of Uva Mira Mountain Vineyards in 2013, up against the slopes of the Helderberg seems in direct contrast to this high octane lifestyle.
Everything in wine is time. Uva Mira is named for a famous star in the constellation of Cetus (a Greek sea monster who was offered the princess Andromeda to appease Poseidon but was slain by Perseus either by sword or using Medusa’s head which turned him to stone – the details are complicated and murky). The giant red star named ‘the wonderful’ or ‘Mira’ in Latin undergoes a 332-day cycle of fading into obscurity, becoming bright, and then fading again (over almost a year), drawing parallels between winemaking and stargazing. The patience inherent to growing grapes, understanding the terroir, blending, and maturation, the once-a-year opportunity to harvest, and the celebration once you can taste the literal fruits of your labour – explains the name Uva Mira, Latin meaning The Wonderful Grape.