# Wild Yeast Chardonnay Springfield Estate (2025)

- **Producer:** Springfield Estate
- **Colour:** white
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Chardonnay
- **Region:** Western Cape, South Africa
- **Style:** Classic
- **Alcohol:** 13.5%
- **Average price:** €22
- **Vegan:** Yes
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 10–12 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** pineapple, melon, pear, apricot, grapefruit, lemon, herbaceous, bread, butter, cream

## About this wine

Springfield Estate is run by the brother-and-sister team of Abrie and Jeanette Bruwer, who represent the ninth generation of French Huguenots arriving in South Africa in 1688. Located in the rocky, calcareous soils of the Robertson region within the Breede River Valley, the estate operates under a strict hands-off philosophy, believing that good wine is grown rather than made. This specific Chardonnay is a testament to that high-risk approach, relying entirely on native yeasts and concrete tanks, which can occasionally lead to stalled fermentations and lost vintages, but yields unmatched depth when successful.

## Interesting facts

- The wine is fermented using only native wild yeasts, a high-risk process that can take up to nine months and occasionally results in lost vintages.
- The Bruwer family are ninth-generation descendants of French Huguenots who arrived in South Africa from the Loire Valley in 1688.
- The vines are planted in rocky, calcareous soils with a basic pH of around 8, mimicking the classic limestone soils of Burgundy.

## Food pairing

This unwooded Chardonnay balances a rich, oily texture from extended lees contact with a vibrant, driving acidity. It pairs beautifully with dishes that match its weight and texture, such as creamy seafood, buttery sauces, and roasted poultry, while its crisp acidity cuts through rich fats without the need for oak integration.

## Wine making process

The grapes are hand-harvested exclusively at night in February 2025 to preserve freshness and acidity. Fermentation takes place 100% in deep underground cement tanks using only indigenous wild yeasts found on the grape skins. This process is highly volatile and slow, taking anywhere from 60 days to 9 months to complete. Malolactic fermentation occurs naturally and spontaneously. The wine is aged unwooded on its fine lees in the underground cement tanks for approximately 10 months to build texture. It is fined with bentonite clay and lightly filtered before bottling.