Click on each petal to learn more about Palate Character or sign in, join the taste56 community and let your palate do the talking!
Tasting Notes
Medium-plus in body and acidity, there are aromas of meyer lemon, ripe apple, and melon fruit, followed by more subtle notes of mint and white flowers, followed by flavors of mineral, white pepper, and biscuit in the lengthy finish.
Body is the impression of a wines weight, density, or its ‘mouth-feel’. Some wines feel weighty, or full bodied, while others feel light bodied. Wine runs the gamut from light to full, with most falling somewhere in between.
ACIDITY
Low
Moderate
Balanced
Crisp
High
Acidity is a foundational component in wine. In fact, low acidity, or ‘flabby’ wine (as the term suggests) is a negative. You can sense acidity mainly on the sides of your tongue. Acidity generally ranges from balanced to high. Crisp acidity adds freshness, making your mouth water. Acidity is a necessary element and helps to balance other components.
SWEETNESS
Dry
Off Dry
Medium Dry
Medium Sweet
Very Sweet
Most wines are characterized as dry to off-dry, but there are some grape varietals, like Riesling, that run the gamut from dry to sweet. The tip of the tongue mainly detects sweetness, which is why it is often the primary characteristic detected. Sweetness is derived from residual sugar that did not ferment into alcohol.
ALCOHOL
13.5%
Alcohol is the by-product of fermentation. Differing grape varieties have differing potential alcohol levels, but regardless warmer areas result in riper grapes resulting in higher alcohol. Alcohol level is an objective number, but its affect on its palate impression is largely determined with how well integrated and balanced it is with other components.
Chardonnay may be the most versatile white wine grape, often seen as a blank canvas. It displays various flavors and aromas depending on where it is grown and more specifically, how it is made. It can range in Palate Character from Bright & Crisp to Rich & Full depending on the climate. It is also particularly malleable and highly affected by winemaking choices like as malolactic fermentation, lees stirring, barrel fermentation and ageing practices.
The De Wetshof estate is a family-run winery that dates back to the 1970s and is recognized as one of the first wineries to see the potential in South Africa for chardonnay.
De Wetshof was the first registered winery in the Robertson Valley. It benefits from gravelly soils, cool breezes, and fog from the Agulhas coast.
The Limestone Hill Chardonnay from De Wetshof has brisk acidity and no oak, often showing attractive citrus and tropical-fruit notes.
Ripe Apple
Mineral
Biscuit
