Technical Specifications
Alcohol 14.5%
Residual Sugar 2.3 g/L
pH 3.6
Total Acidity 6.6 g/L
Calories (estimated) 120 kcal / glass
150ml glass120 kcal
750ml bottle600 kcal
Grape Varieties Chardonnay
Chardonnay100%
Region Stellenbosch
Soil Tukulu and chalky soil mix
Elevation 200.0 meters
Orientation South-West To North-East
Harvest Dates delayed by 14 to 21 days
Vine Age 17 years
Fermentation Vessels Oak Barrel, Stainless Steel, Terracotta Amphora
Natural Yeast Yes
Lees Aging 10 months
Oak Details 22% First Fill New Oak
First Fill New Oak22%
Second Fill Oak63%
Oak Types Burgundian style wine barrels
Closure Cork
Production Volume 3,500 bottles
Bottles3,500
Production Details The wine was made from a certified single vineyard block. Leaf-fall in autumn occurred at around the normal time in May, but due to later rainfall, cover crops were planted somewhat later than usual. Winter conditions were excellent, characterized by mostly above-average cold units and frequent snow on high-lying areas, and higher-than-normal rainfall supplemented groundwater levels. Due to a cool, wet spring, budding was 7 to 14 days later than normal, but consistently good and even. The cool weather also delayed initial shoot growth. Most vines started to catch up by flowering time, which occurred about 5 days later than usual. Set occurred at a good tempo and was mostly even. Shoots and leaves started to grow vigorously as temperatures increased in December. This necessitated additional canopy management actions such as leaf removal, tipping and topping. As temperatures remained moderate throughout the rest of the season, vineyards took their time to reach optimum ripeness and harvest was delayed by 14 to 21 days. This resulted in striking colour and flavour development in the grapes, thanks to a cooler season that slowed down ripening and provided the opportunity for these components to develop optimally, resulting in excellent wines. 22% of the wine was fermented in new Burgundian style wine barrels and 63% in 2nd fill barrels. 85% of the wine started fermentation in stainless steel tanks and moved to barrel halfway through the fermentation process. 15% of the wine went through spontaneous fermentation in a terracotta amphora with a portion of whole berries added to the fermentation. The wine spent 10 months on its primary lees with intermittent barrel rolling to stir up the lees and release the manno-proteins in the yeast cells that add flavour and structure to the final wine.
Tasting Notes
Nose: ripe pineapple, melon, white peach, apricot, jasmine, lemongrass, ginger
Palate: butterscotch, orange peel, roasted cashew nuts, vanilla, wet pine forest floor, orange blossom, lemony zest
Food Pairing duck a l'orange, walnut and hollandaise sauce (not too lemony), crayfish in creamy sauce, smoked haddock in creamy sauce, salmon risotto, crab risotto
▸ Sources (1)
Producer Information
Website
Address
Lourensford Ave, Somerset West, 7130, South Africa
Phone
+27 21 847 2200
Email
Owner
Dr Christo Wiese
Cellarmaster
Hannes Nel