Technical Specifications
Alcohol 13.62%
Residual Sugar 1.4 g/L
pH 3.13
Total Acidity 6.7 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
Vine Age 27 year old
Fermentation Vessels Oak Barrel
Pressing Method Whole Cluster
Natural Yeast Yes
Malolactic Fermentation 100%
Oak Aging 12 months
Used Oak Only Yes
Production Details Snakes and Ladders' name takes its inspiration from the wild nature of these elevated bushvine vineyards high up in the mountains, along with the tight and low-to-the-ground farming style. The incredible parcels are in such a challenging climate. It is this heat and water scarcity that keeps the roots of these vines searching for every ounce of nutrients they can extract from their deep red soils. The wine that comes from these pristine grapes is deeply complex and we vinify them simply, as we can from whole bunch pressing the grapes to months of cool maturation in old oak barrels. Little of the season's rain reached our Skurfberg Sauvignon blanc vineyard in the 2020 growing season, so we were still dealing with a very dry growing season up there. That said, it seems the timing of the rain was able to help support a very healthy canopy of leaves on the vineyard, and the dryness provides a good limit on the natural vigour of the Sauvignon blanc vines. This vineyard never seems to fail to deliver wildly concentrated fruit, and it's hard to contain the excitement we all feel when this makes it into the cellar. It's a difficult pick as we need to balance the big fruit ripeness we get from the less vigorous part of the block with the pungent green notes that we get from the more vigorous vines. That being said, I think we walked the knife edge of ripeness well during the 2020 season and delivered some great wines. This is a vineyard of compulsion for me as I just couldn't turn down the opportunity to work with grapes from this area. I'm continually delighted to see the kind of complexity and texture that Sauvignon blanc can deliver on the right sites. 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. 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 basket press with no SO2 or other additions. The juice is then wild fermented in a mix of 225 litre old oak barrels where the wines remain on their gross lees for 12 months before blending and bottling. We favour malolactic fermentation over early addition 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
blackcurrant leaf, ruby grapefruit, Chinese guavas, lemongrass, gooseberry, sumac
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Owner
John and Tasha Seccombe
Cellarmaster
John Seccombe