Dan Really Likes Wine

Live Virtual Auction, 21 November 2022

Session One

Sold for

ZAR 5 277
Lot 40
  • Restless River; Ava Marie Chardonnay; 2019; 6 (1 x 6); 750ml


Lot Estimate
ZAR 3 000 - 4 000
Selling Price
Incl. Buyer's Premium & VAT
ZAR 5 277

About this Item

2019 Ava Marie Chardonnay
6 (1 x 6) 750ml

Restless River is a rising star which has quietly achieved cult-status for its brilliant, Burgundian-style Chardonnay and lean Cabernet Sauvignon. The Restless River label was launched in 2012 and is managed and owned by Craig and Anne Wessels, winemaker and manager respectively. Their farm is located in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley and has some of the oldest Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay vines in the region (planted in 1998). Almost all their production is done by hand, resulting in limited quantities of each wine.

Matthew Dukes once wrote: "If you have ever wondered whether the Cape would ever make Grand Cru chardonnay, the answer is in this bottle”. What more can be said. Restless River Ava Marie Chardonnay is one of the Cape’s finest offerings. With beautiful tension, freshness and texture, and never forward in fruit or oak, Ava Marie is an exercise in elegance and restraint. Green apple, white pear, hints of lime, a touch saline and sometimes slightly flinty on the nose when young. With a backbone of fresh acidity, this chardonnay ages and matures magnificently. Only a few thousand bottles are produced each vintage, making it pretty rare and worthy of a special place in your cellar. This six–bottle lot is from owners, Craig and Anne Wessels’ personal cellar and signed by Craig, the winemaker.

View all Restless River lots for sale in this auction