VINEYARDS
Chenin blanc is regarded as the workhorse of the South African Wine Industry. It produces the bulk of our generic white wines. There is however some gems in between the mass of Chenin blanc vineyards. Our goal is to identify these gems and allow it to express themselves in the False Bay Chenin blanc.
We focus on areas that long stood out for producing great Chenin blanc wines, like the Paardeberg and Riebeek areas. Old bushvine vineyards, have over time found their natural balance and ultimately it shows in the wines.
THE 2010 GROWING SEASON
After a very cool 2008/09 growing season, the 2009/10 vintage was one of the most difficult in years. Strong winds of up to 120 km/h and rain storms at the end of October were some of the climatic factors we had to battle with during spring. The wind created havoc right through the season, blowing off shoots and reducing the yield significantly. Cool weather prevailed through spring into late February 2010 and had a positive influence on quality of the grapes.
WINEMAKING
Picking early in the morning, we de-stemmed the grapes before separating the juice from the skins. The free run juice was separated from the skins immediately and allowed to settle at 12 degrees Celcius for 24 hours. No enzymes were used to aid the settling & the press juice was discarded. No cultured yeasts were used and fermentation took 20 weeks. The wine was left on the secondary lees for another 1 month before bottling.
TASTING NOTES
A rich Chenin blanc with gentle aromas of apple and tropical fruit. The bright acidity helps to carry the generous mouth feel. Due to the natural ferment the wine has great complexity and great length. A versatile wine equally well suited to partner dishes like seafood, risotto or roast chicken.
ANALYSIS
Alc 13.0%
TA 6.22 g/l
pH 3.41
RS 2.20 g/l
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