South African Chardonnay & Australian Shiraz Special Offer

Chardonnay and Shiraz/Syrah, two world famous French varieties working wonders in the Southern Hemisphere. We’ve picked two of our favourites and are offering both at a special offer price for a limited time.

Vergelegen is one of South Africa’s top estates and their Reserve Chardonnay is a beautiful full, rich and complex example of the style, while Tyrrell’s is one of the pioneers of winemaking in Australia and their cool climate Hunter Valley Shiraz is super fresh, ripe and elegant.

Located south of the town of Stellenbosch Vergelegen Estate sits near to the cooling influence of False Bay with vines first planted on the site way back in 1700, so not that ‘New World’. Chardonnay is one of the varieties that has flourished here with the clear skies and strong sun leading to a wonderful ripeness of fruit while the cool winds that race up from the ocean provide balanced, crisp acidity. Three selected vineyards provide the grapes for this Reserve Chardonnay with the wine fermenting and maturing in French oak barrels. There’s a lovely richness and roundness to this wine but with a fresh minerality running throughout that just make it incredibly enjoyable and satisfying to drink!

In a nutshell:
A classy and elegant South African white from the Stellenbosch region.

The lowdown:
They may be best known for reds and red blends, but some of Vergelegen's whites, like this handsome Chardonnay, are certainly right up there as well. Fermented and left to age on lees in oak barrels this wine is restrained in style and doesn't compromise on intensity. There's lots of stone fruits here, and with its vibrant acidity balanced by a creamy butterscotch texture it's, quite simply, very long, intriguingly complex, and very delicious. Drinking really well now and until the mid-late 2020s.

When to drink:
Poultry, pork, lamb and feathered game are good food pairings.

Fly fifteen and a half hours east over the Indian Ocean and the continent of Australia and you reach Tyrrell’s Wines located in the Hunter Valley of New South Wales. Tyrrell’s really are pioneering winemakers, one of the first to grow grapes and make wines and have been in the same family since 1858. Here the climate is different to that of South Australia and the McLaren Vale, and the resulting Shiraz’s fresher, maybe slightly more Rhône like and, dare I say it, maybe a touch more elegant… This Shiraz comes from some of the top blocks on the estate of over 40 years in age and is made to the same high standards as the flagship Vat 9 Shiraz, maturing in large, old French oak barrels. Soft and medium bodied with ripe fruit flavours and a real fresh acidity running throughout. Delicious.

In a nutshell:
Fresh, soft and juicy Hunter Valley Shiraz from one of Australia's oldest wineries.

The lowdown:
In Australia Tyrrell's are not just Hunter Valley pioneers but also New South Wales and national ones too, having first started in the 1860s this family winery has helped put Australian wine on the map over the last century. They have an abundance of old vineyards with over a third of their vines older than 50 years, and 11% over 100 years old! Their classic Hunter Valley Shiraz comes from some of Tyrrell's top blocks with an average age of 40 years and is made to a similar standard as their flagship Vat 9 Shiraz. While the bunches were destemmed they were not crushed with as many whole berries going into the fermenter as possible, and then matured in very large, old oak casks. The result is a wine with freshness and great purity of fruit without an oaky dominance.

Fresh, perfumed, lifted aromas of bright red fruits and sweet spice. The palate is soft, medium-bodied with black and red fruit notes, black pepper, savoury tannins, and real crisp acidity running throughout.

When to drink:
Try with braised beef or stews, gamey meats like venison (or even kangaroo).

Check out all our wines from these estates here… Want a wine of theirs that we don’t stock? Then send us an email to sales@noblegreenwines.co.uk and we’ll be happy to help you out!