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Friday, December 17, 2010

Ataraxia Western Cape Chardonnay 2007 - Revisited

Ataraxia Western Cape Chardonnay 2007 - Revisited



Ataraxia Chardonnay 2007 was a 5 stars in 2009 Platter Wine Guide and was pleased to discover a few bottles hidden in the depth of the Sandton Sun cellar, mixed with Ataraxia Sauvignon Blanc 2008!

A minimalist non-interventionist Chardonnay handcrafted from fruit sourced by Kevin Grant from extreme, radical and individual parcels scattered throughout the Cape wine lands, 10 months upbringing in French oak of which 30 % was new, completed it’s journey to the bottle

Since the maiden release of the 2005 vintage, Ataraxia Chardonnay have captivated fans all over the world and have graced some of the finest fine dining destination.

Ataraxia is a smartly made moderate climate Chardonnay (South Africa is not a cool climate viticulture! No debate here!) bridging opulent New World aromatic with a palate weight, elegance as well as soupcon of minerality akind to a cross of Premier Cru Chablis and Puligny Montrachet profile.

Ataraxia wines are wines to be supported and have it’s rightful place on any well respected wine lists, however my only constructive criticism is it needs to get a sense of place, as at present all vintages have been Wine of Origin Western Cape, which makes it hard to explain to customers who know very little about Cape wines, but are demanding on the provenance as well as terroir where the vines are grown, hopefully as Kevin Grant vines mature on his Hemel en Aarde plot we should see some more site specific wines.


The 2007 is an age worthy Western Cape blend Chardonnay that will peak around 2013.

All vintages have an average rating of between 89 – 91+