The enchantment of the slow swirl of La Motte Chardonnay

Wine’s most alluring characteristic must be the flow that aromas, flavours and textures unlock in memory and imagination.

Clifford Roberts muses on this rare ability of La Motte Chardonnay.

It was thoughts on a wine cultivar that spiraled me back to JL Carr’s wonderful 1980 novel, A Month in the Country.

In one memorable line, Carr writes:

“The first breath of autumn was in the air, a prodigal feeling, a feeling of wanting, taking, and keeping before it is too late.”

We all have our own associations with wine, but for me, Chardonnay is like Carr’s choice season – it’s perpetual autumn.

A mercurial character entwining rather than straddling disparate worlds, moods and seasons.

It can be bright and fresh on some days or brooding on others, but always a promising journey of discovery.

Like eddies in a stream.

Reflections Through Wine And Literature

In the book, Carr places his characters into a scene in the English countryside after WW1.

The protagonist - a former serviceman - is employed to help restore a mural in a secluded village church.

Another ex-soldier, whom he later meets, works on finding a particular grave of importance.

Their interactions unfold an exploration of post-war reflections from happiness to nostalgia.

The arc of imagination I collapse easily into the arc of that imaginary place, seated as I am by the very real fire that dances in languid tawny ribbons behind the grate in La Motte’s Wine Estate’s tasting room.

Outside, the valley wears the day with typical mythical allure – a dark sky; low wisps of cloud settled just off craggy mountain slopes; fresh streams awakened by the first rains; and, trees alight with amber foliage.

Pinching the foot of the glass, I gently sling the fluid around the transparent bulb.

The slow swirl awakens the wine and ignites a stream of consciousness.

Chardonnay had always been a younger of the noble arrivals to South Africa.

In the spiritual Huguenot homeland of Franschhoek, it only really began to take hold in the 1990s.

But it quickly became a stalwart.

“There's some amazing old vine Semillon here,” UK wine authority Jamie Goode wrote after his visit in 2015.

“[But] Chardonnay is another strongpoint of the valley.”

A Consistent Champion

La Motte cellarmaster Edmund Terblanche reaffirms this view.

“Chardonnay is one of the most consistent varieties in the valley, with several champion examples.”

Only the second cellarmaster at La Motte since the restoration of the farm in 1970, he’ll know.

It was under his watch that the farm developed its Chardonnay-grounded Cap Classiques too.

“As general practice, La Motte buys in grapes to supplement its ranges, but the Chardonnay is the only wine in our portfolio that has never been made with grapes from another region. It’s all Wine of Origin Franschhoek.”

The confidence is underscored by a long ream of awards, including the wine being named best of South Africa and fourth in the world at the Chardonnay du Monde competition in 2009.

The past few years, it has regularly made appearance among the favourites in Winemag tastings.

But a roll of honour only takes you so far – especially with a variety like Chardonnay.

The Lay Of The Land

Soils and climate speak a different language here compared to, say, Robertson, Elgin and the Hemel-en-Aarde.

The climate of Franschhoek is cool while its soils are a combination of sand, weathered sandstone and granite.

In the estate’s cavernous cellar that is the kingdom of the cellarmaster and his winemakers, Edmund leads the way past diverse fermentation tanks – among them, stainless steel monoliths, amphorae, ceramic pots, oak barrels and polymer maturation cubes.

All are employed to fashion the building blocks of the wines.

The final expression of a season’s Chardonnay is a blend of wine from different fermentation vessels.

“There’s a creamy lime character to our wines,” says Edmund.

“That creaminess in particular fits well with our focus on a lightly wooded style.”

Chardonnay Poetry In Food

I make a note.

The eddy of my thoughts has floated the culinary description into conversation with the estate’s head chef, Stephan Moolman.

“Chardonnay is incredibly versatile because it adapts easily to dishes and cooking styles, as well as seasons,” he says.

“Its natural acidity cuts through rich elements like beurre blanc, cream and butter sauces, while its texture can bear the weight roasted poultry, seafood and even pork. In the unoaked style, it brings freshness and minerality that lift delicate ingredients, perfect for summer and spring. In autumn and winter, we prefer the oaked style, where the wine offers depth, roundness and subtle spice notes that complement caramelized and wood-fired flavours.”

“The aromas, flavours and textures of Chardonnay rarely compete with food, instead integrating in a way that enhances the structure, balance and complexity of a dish.”

It would be easy to leave these impressions here, our appetites assuaged despite the knowledge that deep down, it too resembles the temporality suggested by Carr’s prodigal feeling.

A Conversation In Time

I leave the kitchen and tasting room behind to seek further enlightenment in La Motte’s excellent art gallery.

The high-ceilinged building, a contemporary interpretation of historic Cape architecture, lends itself to quiet engagement with the selection that lines its walls and spaces.

“As in winemaking, in art there is an ongoing dialogue between tradition and contemporary interpretation,” curator Nina Kruger tells me.

“This exhibition is therefore not a move away from the past, but rather an acknowledgement of it and a look ahead to new expressions.”

What she refers to is the current showing entitled From Horizon to Horizon - a celebration of South African master artists, specifically JH Pierneef, Irma Stern and Maggie Laubser, whose history is now intertwined with La Motte through the former Pierneef Museum housed on the farm.

The title of the exhibition was also chosen deliberately, Nina tells me.

It is a line from Blydskap, a poem by one of South Africa’s great poets, Lina Spies.

“To honour this history and at the same time place the new Ateljee gallery in context, contemporary artists were invited to share their own impressions of the masters, as well as the South African landscape.

“The art of winemaking is closely intertwined with nature: the seasons, the weather, the terroir and the style of the maker. The same applies to the fine arts. Each generation builds on those that came before. The golden thread of the past remains visible, but new voices also emerge, distinctive and relevant to their own time.”

Nina draws on the landscapes of Rentia Retief as an example.

“Her works are interpretations of real places, but without recognizable landmarks. These scenes move away from the specific and become rather a memory or sense of place, something in which each viewer can recognize themselves. The same happens in winemaking.

“Although a wine originates from a specific terroir, it is ultimately experienced by each person in a unique way. Just as Rentia’s landscapes leave room for personal association, wine also leaves room for individual experience. Both the artwork and the wine are therefore not completed in the making process alone, but only in the encounter with the viewer or the taster.”

Outside, once again beneath the towering oaks of the werf, I look skyward and take a deep breath.

There is a deep sense that while I have physically been virtually motionless, I have been moved nonetheless - transported, as it were, by a swirl of Chardonnay.

Join The Experience

Join the La Motte team for a Chardonnay experience of note.

The exhibition entitled From Horizon to Horizon runs in the La Motte Ateljee until 21 June.

Don't miss an evening of art, wine and food inspired by La Motte Chardonnay on Friday, 5 June.

Bookings online,