For current Muratie owners Rijk and Kim Melck, there could be only one name for their Chardonnay, made from the free -run juice of hand-harvested, whole-bunch pressed grapes, fermented naturally and then matured in 500l French oak for nine months: the name of their baby daughter, Isabella.
In this fresh and elegant wine with its peach-blossom fragrance, the aim is to evoke those bedtime butterfly kisses of their beautiful baby girl, so the oaking (10 months in this case) is subtle, serving only to spice the stone fruit, melon, and citrus flavours with hints of hazelnuts and vanilla cream. It’s beautifully delicate and understated, with a pure, slightly piquant and lingering ‘mineral’ finish promising great charm well beyond the toddler years.