Wineanalyst - An Insider's Guide to Wine Bargains - October 05, 2005
By Stephen Tanzer

Neil Ellis Stellenbosch Chardonnay 2003 - 89 Points
'Burgundian aromas of apricot, smoke and hazelnut. Rich and densely packed, with pineapple and grapefruit flavours, along with emerging notes of lemon and lime, all nicely shaped by firm acidity. Finishes with a slight alcoholic warmth that may yet be absorbed with another year or so of aging. Beginning with this vintage, Ellis has fermented a protion of this wine in tank. The finished wine remained on its lees, with a lot of batonnage, until bottling in December of 2003, and 40 percent of the wine went through malolactic fermentation.'