VINEYARDS
Waterkloof Sauvignon blanc was born on the south west facing, low yielding, and windswept slopes of Schapenberg (overlooking False Bay). Here the blustery Southeaster (and sometimes the north west as well), churns up the vineyards with regularity. This not only allows for a very low crop, but the flavours intensify to a flinty minerality. The two single vineyards are about 4 kilometres from the sea, and are planted at a height of between 270 and 300 metres above sea level. The soils are of sandstone origin with medium size stones, helping with drainage, while retaining the ability to hold moisture. The vineyards are 14 years old. Production was approximately 3 tons/ha.
THE 2007/08 GROWING SEASON
A winter which provided much needed rain and cold weather was followed by a cool, wet spring. The regular rains during spring and the early parts of the summer did lead to higher than normal disease pressure. We had to increase our spraying intervals in order to ensure that our vineyards stayed free from disease. Cloudy periods during flowering resulted in irregular set and bunches
were loose and the berries small, which allowed for an even veraison. The cool weather during spring followed through into the early part of summer, which allowed us to pick the whites during cool conditions.
WINEMAKING
We mainly rely on tasting the grapes to determine the optimum stage of flavour development. Grapes are picked early in the morning when they are still cool, which helps to preserve the flavours. Extracting juice from the grape skins are achieved through pressing the whole bunches. This is the most delicate way to extract the juice. After a settling of 24 hours, the juice is racked to the fermentation tanks. We allow the yeast occurring naturally on the grapes to start and complete the fermentation. A portion (25%) of the grapes were fermented in old 600l barrels. After a very slow fermentation, the wine was left on the primary lees up to bottling during mid-December. This helped to add more complexity and weight to the palate.
TASTING NOTES
The very strong south easterly winds blowing through spring and early summer helped to shape the mineral core of this wine. It also cooled the vineyard which allowed ripe flavours to develop. Waterkloof Sauvignon blanc shows great purity and elegance with a persistent finish.
ANALYSIS
Alc: 14%
RS: 3,4
TA: 6.00g/l
pH: 3.25
VA: 0.39
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