2017 Paul Cluver Estate Chardonnay Elgin South Africa 750 ml

Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate said of Paul Cluver: “Put simply, you just cannot go wrong with these South African gems.” So why do Cluver’s spectacular Chardonnays have next to no presence in the United States?

That’s also simple. Most of Cluver’s Chardonnay, which the Advocate’s Neal Martin says he’d put up “against many a preening Burgundy,” is snapped up by South Africa’s native sommeliers and Chardonnay lovers, then enjoyed at home and in some of the finest restaurants in the land—all without us Americans hearing a word about it. 

But this is not a normal year, and in the spring, South Africa took the extraordinary step of banning domestic alcohol sales. That means the thousands of South Africans who would normally be sipping the Paul Cluver Estate Chardonnay are out of luck—and that Wine Access members win big, getting this seldom seen 94-point Chardonnay at $20. 

There’s no other way to put it: With its priceless pedigree, 94 points at the Decanter World Wine Awards, and a price tag of $20, this is one of the steals of the year. It’s been three years since we’ve had the chance to grab one of Cluver’s incredible Chardonnays for our members, and it might be another three before we get another, so don’t miss out. 

Those who get here fast enough can expect a Chardonnay that expresses the best of the Old and New Worlds. With a nose of ripe nectarine and white peach kissed with honey and tarragon, and a palate showing ripe orchard fruit with lemon and buttercream, this is Burgundian nuance built on riper fruit, and it slides into a beautiful long finish of earth, wet stone, and toast. 

Paul Cluver is widely recognized as one of the most inventive winegrowers in the world. He planted his first grapes in the Elgin Valley in the 1980s, on a piece of land that his family has owned since the late 19th century. Sitting in the shadow of the Hottentots Holland Mountains just over 40 miles southeast of Cape Town, the region is encircled by mountains, lush and green, and for years was known as being suited for growing Granny Smith apples. But that was before Paul saw the potential for Burgundian grapes, and planted Chardonnay and Pinot Noir on the family’s magnificent undulating hillsides.

The Cluver estate falls within the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve, where the meticulously farmed vineyards are perched at almost 1,500 feet in elevation. Much like the Santa Barbara coastline, the Elgin Mountain plateau takes full advantage of this mountainous maritime setting, stretching out the growing season for cold-climate Chardonnay and producing deeply concentrated wines of Burgundian nuance, which dazzle anyone who gets the chance to taste them.

This is your chance, and it might not come again. Don’t miss it, because it’s a Chardonnay deal that the South Africans, year in and year out, are more than happy to keep to themselves.