De Wetshof’s range of six chardonnays has been expanded with the addition of another unwooded wine in the range bearing the name Calcrete.
The term calcrete originated from a collective of Robertson chardonnay producers who wished to create awareness of the distinctive styles of wine made from the region’s famous limestone-rich calcareous soils.
Thus, backed by almost half a century of chardonnay making between Robertson and Bonnievale, the custodians of different chardonnay-making family estates aligned themselves to launch Calcrete, a category of minerally unwooded chardonnay that defines their region.
Specific local wineries have been invited to join the collective of Calcrete producers, each submitting an unwooded chardonnay made in a bright minerality-driven style to which only Robertson can lay claim. Wines conforming to this unique style will be bottled as ‘Calcrete’ under each individual producer’s label, and this term is confirmed for chardonnays made from Robertson terroir.
Geologically, calcrete refers to the white deposits of limestone in soils. From this terroir, the calcrete wines draw their unique character, purity, sophistication and minerality. Chardonnay wines labelled as Calcrete are specially selected from the Bonnievale-Robertson region only and bear arguably the closest resemblance to Chablis you will find in South Africa, despite their unique regionality.
They are a true expression of local minerality, the forté of this region. Calcrete can’t be produced anywhere else but within its boundaries and only by approved wine estates that have proven over decades to have presented calcrete-like chardonnay in its stylistic singularity.
As shown at the recent presentations to media and trade, the De Wetshof Calcrete 2023 truly captured the imagination with CEO Johann de Wet’s introduction of this collective concept. This cooperation between Robertson’s winemakers and the offering of an exciting new wine category named Calcrete promises to be one of the region’s most exciting developments to date and the roll-out of the other producers’ Calcrete wines is being eagerly anticipated.
The grapes for this wine were sourced from rocky limestone soils with an underlying bed of clay.
The grapes for De Wetshof Calcrete are picked in the coolness of the morning, with the emphasis on capturing the natural complexities of the chardonnay grape immediately for the making of this unwooded wine. After de-stemming, pressing and overnight settling, the juice is racked off from the sediment and pumped into stainless steel tanks.
After fermentation, the wine is left on the lees at controlled temperatures. Weekly stirring of the lees ensures maximum flavours are released into the wine until it is ready for bottling.
Since its launch, the Calcrete concept, of which De Wetshof is one of five wines under the Calcrete label, has captured the imagination of the media, wine trade and consumers, offering a singular wine style of bright, brisk freshness exuding the complexity of the chardonnay grape grown on the unique calcareous soils of Robertson.
Look out for the Calcrete label and discover a new world of chardonnay enjoyment.
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