Babylonstoren is one of the Cape Winelands’ most extraordinary and celebrated estates — a historic farm in the Simonsberg foothills of Paarl whose origins stretch back to 1692, and whose combination of breathtaking natural beauty, meticulous farming, and genuine winemaking ambition has made it one of South Africa’s most iconic and sought-after wine destinations. Where the Babel celebrates the diversity and richness of the Cape’s red varieties, the Chardonnay is Babylonstoren at their most focused and precise: a single-variety white of real elegance and depth that draws its inspiration from the great white Burgundies of France while expressing something entirely and distinctively its own. The Simonsberg foothills offer ideal conditions for Chardonnay — the altitude and the cooling influence of the mountain give the wines a freshness and natural acidity that preserves the delicacy and aromatic complexity of the variety, while the warmth of the Paarl days ripens the fruit to a generous, creamy richness that is the hallmark of Babylonstoren’s winemaking style. The 2024 is beautifully Burgundian in character: quince, lime, and vanilla on the nose, with a lovely freshness and aromatic precision that is immediately and completely appealing. On the palate it is creamy and generous, with a depth of flavour and complexity that speaks of both the quality of the fruit and the skill of the winemaking — all the richness and texture of a great white Burgundy, with the freshness and vitality that only the Cape can provide. At £29.49, it is Babylonstoren at their most refined and completely compelling.