Le Riche, David & Nadia and Restless River

Timed Online Auction, 7 - 22 April 2025

Restless River
About the Session

Restless River has fast risen to cult-status, with its mineral Chardonnay, pure Pinot Noir and cool-climate Cabernet Sauvignon from the Hemel-en-Aarde.


Sold for

ZAR 1 525
Lot 67
  • Restless River; Ava Marie Chardonnay; 2019; 1 (1 x 1); 750ml


Lot Estimate
ZAR 1 300 - 2 000
Selling Price
Incl. Buyer's Premium & VAT
ZAR 1 525
Delivery
Delivery within South Africa included
Shipping

About this Item

2019 Ava Marie Chardonnay
1 (1 x 1) 750ml

Craig has carved out a unique style with his single vineyard Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley Chardonnay (named after daughter Ava) that reflects his philosophy of minimum intervention and linear wines, shaped by place and vintage.

Provenance

Producer

Critics Ratings

'Drought-breaking 2019 vintage conferred rare combo of very low pH and not-too-high acidity, giving delicacy and effortless texture, pleasing hint of salt. Single-vineyard fruit, naturally fermented/year in oak, 5% new, plus 10% amphora component deliver riveting tension, lime and spice complexity, flinty, limy persistence. Magnificent.' - Platter's SA Wine Guide 2022, 5* (96 pts)

'The 2019 Ava Marie is a very impressive creation indeed. While many of the earlier vintages were a little more honied and resinous quite early in their evolution, the last few vintages have firmly moved in a direction that favours textural tension and a stonier minerality led by aromatics loaded with smoky, flinty, struck match reduction nuances, waxy lemon peel, wet chalk and subtle oat meal leesy notes. On the palate there is a very keen line of acidity together with an ample, fleshy, yellow citrus fruit freshness that boast layers of pithy yellow grapefruit, lemon cordial, crunchy white peaches and hints of sophisticated wet river pebble liquid minerality. One of Craig's most Burgundian expressions to date, this wine combines fabulous tension with sublime balance.' - Greg Sherwood MW, The Fine Wine Safari, 96+/100 (Dec 2021)

'A touch woody/cedary on the nose. But fresh and stony citrus, too. Bone dry, salty, almost austere but not quite. Super-fresh and lean, but not thin. Long and pure.' - Julia Harding MW, JancisRobinson.com, 17/20 (Oct 2022)

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