Technical Specifications
Alcohol 13.76%
Residual Sugar 1.4 g/L
pH 3.25
Total Acidity 6.2 g/L
Calories (estimated) 115 kcal / glass
150ml glass115 kcal
750ml bottle575 kcal
Grape Varieties Sauvignon Blanc
Sauvignon Blanc100%
Region Citrusdal Mountain
Soil Red sand over clay
Vine Age 27 year old
Fermentation Vessels Oak Barrel
Pressing Method Whole Cluster
Natural Yeast Yes
Oak Aging 9 months
Oak Types old oak
Barrel Size 225 litre, 600 litre
Production Details The 2019 vintage saw little respite from the drought which has gripped the Western Cape over the last few years. Rainfall is limited in the Skurfberg, even in the best of years, though in the case of the Sauvignon blanc this provides a good counterpoint to the vine's natural vigour. I was quite simply blown away by the quality of the fruit this year, with bags of flavour, ripping acids and endless concentration. Our key focus during harvest is picking times. If we can pick grapes at the right time, we can achieve tension and ripeness in the wine without the need to manipulate and "dress-up" the wines. It's a big commitment to jump in the truck at midnight and head up the West Coast to arrive at 05h30 in the morning ahead of the pickers, but I think that seeing the wines in barrel and now in bottle, it is a worthwhile sacrifice. The vineyard was brought to us by a close friend who works with Chenin in the area. My natural inclination was to have little interest in working with Sauvignon blanc, but seeing the vineyard and the soils, I felt compelled to work with it. Working with the fruit in the 2020 harvest was an absolute pleasure and I'm delighted to see the kind of complexity and texture that Sauvignon blanc can deliver on the right sites. We have stuck to our winemaking basics here, eschewing primary fruit in favour of the deeper characteristics of the wines. The grapes are whole-bunch pressed in our old Vaslin press with no SO2s and no other additions. The juice is then wild-fermented in mix of 225 and 600 litre old oak barrels where the wines remain on their gross lees for 9-10 months before blending and bottling. We favour no malolactic fermentation over early additions of sulphur dioxide, and the wines only see a first addition of SO2 in the early winter. We are looking for wines that show tension without losing their suppleness and core, and wines that will reward time in the cellar.
Tasting Notes
Nose: honey melon, warm citrus
Palate: lime leaf, bergamot, dried pear
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Producer Information
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Owner
John and Tasha Seccombe
Cellarmaster
John Seccombe