Copeland Reserve Chardonnay 2025

“Copeland Reserve wines are focused and complex. To craft these wines is a nurturing process that takes years of care and dedication. Small choices separate good from great. Character, quality and a sense of luxury are their function.” - wines by Matthew Copeland

VINEYARDS AND VINIFICATION

Clone selection and harvest timing are paramount in determining a wine’s style and character. Delicate, early-ripening varieties such as Chardonnay are particularly influenced by these factors. Specific vineyard parcels are selected to provide weight and complexity, complemented by earlier pickings of more citrus-driven clones to enhance freshness and lift. The broad valleys, rolling hills, and granitic slopes of Paarl offer ideal conditions for this expression.

All grapes are sourced from family farmed vineyards and hand-picked during the cool morning hours. Whole-bunch pressing limits juice exposure to skin tannins and oxygen, preserving vibrancy of both colour and flavour. The unsettled juice undergoes natural fermentation in oak barrels, ensuring complexity and seamless integration of oak. Extended barrel maturation, with occasional lees stirring, promotes fullness and roundness. The wine is aged for 11 months in 400L French oak barrels, 20% of which are new.