Region: Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, South Africa
Grapes: Chardonnay
Soil: N/A
Winemaking: N/A
Alcohol: N/A
Annual Production: 300 cases
After 12 vintages in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley – ‘Heaven-and-Earth’ in Afrikaans – working intimately with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, Hannes Storm discovered two tiny parcels of land with particularly exceptional terroirs. The two vineyards, one in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley and the other in the Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, were planted in 2008 to Pinot Noir. Storm’s maiden vintage saw the light in 2012 and, after spending 18 months in bottle, the wines were released in August 2014. Storm handcrafts his Vrede Pinot Noir and Vrede Chardonnay from low-vigour, stony, clay-rich Bokkeveld (‘Buck Veld’) shale soil in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, his Ignis Pinot Noir from decomposed granite soil in the Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley and his Ridge Pinot Noir, also from low-vigour, stony, clay-rich Bokkeveld shale soil in the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge. Storm Wines is the only producer with Pinot Noirs from each of the three appellations in the Hemel-en-Aarde. Storm Wines strives to steer the purest characteristics of each vineyard site towards bottle and cork. Small production, careful viticulture, minimal intervention in the cellar and a constant nod to the Old World present the wines with distinctive personality and character.