Live Virtual Auction, 21 November 2022

Matthew Dukes once wrote: "If you have ever wondered whether the Cape would ever make Grand Cru chardonnay, the answer is in this bottle". What more can be said. Restless River Ava Marie Chardonnay is one of the Cape's finest offerings. With beautiful tension, freshness and texture, and never forward in fruit or oak, Ava Marie is an exercise in elegance and restraint. Green apple, white pear, hints of lime, a touch saline and sometimes slightly flinty on the nose when young. With a backbone of fresh acidity, this chardonnay ages and matures magnificently. Only a few thousand bottles are produced each vintage, making it pretty rare and worthy of a special place in your cellar. This six-bottle lot is from owners, Craig and Anne Wessels' personal cellar and signed by Craig, the winemaker.