Peter de Wet of De Wetshof receiving his trophy for Best Blanc de Blancs from Joaquim Sá, MD of Amorim Cork SA.
Robertson estate De Wetshof underscored its reputation as one of South Africa’s leading Chardonnay producers by adding a trophy for Best Blanc de Blancs Cap Classique to the collection of local and international awards its Chardonnay wines have accrued over the past four decades. The trophy for Best Blanc de Blancs was presented to De Wetshof at the annual Amorim Cap Classique Challenge, the leading competition for producers of the South African category of sparkling wines made to the traditional methods pioneered in the Champagne region of France.
De Wetshof’s trophy-winner, De Wetshof Blanc de Blancs 2021, is only the second release of this wine which adds to De Wetshof’s range of six Chardonnays, each expressing a different aspect of the farm’s Robertson terroir.
De Wetshof Blanc de Blancs is made by Peter de Wet. A past student of the Geisenheim Institute in Germany, Peter has from the start of his winemaking career shown a love of and passion for Champagne and other bottle-fermented sparkling wines. He has worked at various Champagne houses, gaining experience in the viticulture, cellar techniques and the ethos of the Champagne region’s most famous product.
The Chardonnay grapes used for its Blanc de Blancs originate from a specific site on De Wetshof’s Bon Vallon property, the chalk soils allowing for grapes with the necessary pH and balance between acid and sugar for making a precise still base wine reflecting origin of site. The base wine was kept in stainless steel and in wood barrels, the latter used for adding complexity. After five months in their respective vessels, the two components were blended before being placed in bottle for secondary fermentation. There the wine spent 24 months on its lees, undergoing secondary fermentation where the characteristic bubbles are formed and where Cap Classique obtains structure, mouthfeel and myriad complexities of flavour and texture.
According to Peter, the 24-month period on the lees proved to be spot-on for the style of Blanc de Blancs he envisioned for De Wetshof. “There is depth and complexity, a creamy mouthfeel with those typical notes of brioche,” says Peter. “These features are enhanced by a riveting freshness where De Wetshof Chardonnay’s characteristic flavours of citrus, white flowers and green apple come to the fore. The wine is alive and brimming with energy, its refined elegance ensuring a lasting finish. This wine is truly a welcome addition to the De Wetshof portfolio of Chardonnays, and one I have been looking forward to showing the world for some time.”
The maiden release of De Wetshof Blanc de Blancs, from the 2020 vintage, secured a Gold medal at the Amorim Cap Classique Challenge 2022.