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The Journey’s End Vineyards Precision Series represents the pinnacle of winemaking at the cellar, situated above Sir Lowry’s Pass Village in the Helderberg basin. Purchased by the Gabb family in 1996, this picturesque farm, nestled among the slopes of the famous Schapenberg Hills overlooking False Bay, has a unique microclimate and exceptional terroir.
The highly acclaimed Precision Series wines are barrel-selected and super-premium, sitting at the top of the trio of core Journey’s End ranges. The three wines in the range include the Destination Chardonnay, Cape Doctor ‘The Red’ (Bordeaux blend) and The Griffin Syrah.
Precision Series Wines 2022 Harvest Update
“We are incredibly fortunate to have one of the most prestigious terroirs in South Africa and our philosophy at Journey’s End is a minimal intervention approach, allowing nature to run its course”, says winemaker Mike Dawson. “Each year our prime Precision Series vineyards seem to rise to the occasion and yield the finest fruit for us to nurture in the cellar. True to form, the 2022 harvest has delivered a large crop of excellent grapes for the Precision wines thanks to ideal conditions leading up to the 2022 vintage.”
Mike continues, “Our Chardonnay block 16 once again showed very even ripening and yielded top-quality grapes for the Destination Chardonnay, which, after completing natural fermentation in French oak is beginning a year-long barrel maturation period and showing an abundance of citrus, tropical, and stone fruit aromatics.”
“Our 23-year-old Syrah vineyard block also performed outstandingly this year. After a combination of traditional and carbonic styled fermentations and malolactic fermentation in steel tanks, the wine spends two years maturing in French oak barrels. We have no doubt The Griffin 2022 will be a stunner.”
“All the respective components for the Cape Doctor – Cabernet Sauvignon from our 24-year-old block, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot – are already showing great promise with elegance, richness, texture and aromatic purity. After a five-day pre-fermentation cold soak, the components undergo alcoholic and malolactic fermentation in steel tanks and then mature separately in 225L French oak for a two-year period before final blending.”
Mike concludes, “May the 2022 vintage continue reflecting our passion for precision, producing 2022 Precision Series wines living up to their reputation, revealing all the desired attributes displayed by our current vintages: Destination Chardonnay 2019, The Griffin 2016 and Cape Doctor 2017.”
Journey’s End Destination Chardonnay 2019
The Name: Our premium Chardonnay is known as ‘The Destination’ because we hope that once opened, this wine will entice people from far and wide to complete their quest for the ultimate Chardonnay at Journey’s End. This wine pays homage to the great Chardonnays from Meursault, but with a Journey’s End twist. This wine is a remarkable feat from winemaker, Mike Dawson,” says Managing Director Rollo Gabb.
In The Vineyard: The grapes were handpicked from block 16 (10-year-old vines), a pocket of excellent quality Chardonnay vines identified by vineyard drone footage. Fertile soils create large canopies of foliage allowing for the grapes lengthy hangtime. Alternative sides of the trellis are picked almost two weeks apart, the morning sun side contributing towards the wine’s citrus and mineral notes and the afternoon sun side imparting ripe stone fruit characters.
In The Cellar: After being picked early in the morning, the grapes were sorted before being whole bunch pressed. Only free-run juice was used and was fermented in a combination of 228L and 300L French oak barrels. The Destination was naturally fermented, and the wine underwent 10% malolactic fermentation naturally. The wine was left on the fine lees and stirred frequently for a period of ten months before being blended in a stainless-steel tank, fined and bottled. The Destination Chardonnay is fined with bentonite which means this wine is vegan friendly.
Tasting Notes: The Destination is rich and full on entry and throughout. The nose exhibits concentrated apricot and ripe peach with layers of lime zest and orange. The fruit component is complemented by well-balanced almond and vanilla spice from generous oak aging. Minerality ensures freshness and adds linearity to a long-lasting creamy finish. The Destination Chardonnay will reward patient cellaring for up to ten years post bottling.
Suggested food pairing: Roast chicken with butternut purée, confit butternut, poached peach and pickled shimeji.
Accolades:
2019 vintage: new release
2018 vintage: 91 Points, Silver, Decanter World Wine Awards 2020; Gold Medal, Michelangelo International Wine and Spirits Awards 2020
