Tasting Notes
A classic barrel fermented wine made from this noble variety. Further maturation in French oak barrels for nine months together with batonnage (lees stirring) gives this wine a suppleness on the palate balanced with citrus zest and almondine brioche. This wine can be enjoyed now or aged further if required."
In The Vineyard
The wine was made from Pinotage grapes that were produced on the farm Dekkersvlei in Klein Drakenstein near Paarl (approx 254 metres above sea level). The vines are trellised with drip irrigation with the yield approximately 3.4 tonnes per hectare.
About The Harvest
Harvest Date: 29th january 2010
Balling: 25.2°
pH: 3.53
Acidity: 5.75g/li
In The Cellar
The grapes were pressed by pneumatic bag press and juice settlement undertaken for 2 days. The must was then transferred to 300li French (67% third fill) and Romanian (33% second fill) oak barrels, and a small adjustment in acidity was made using tartaric acid. Yeast (Laffort VL2) was inoculated then fermented for approximately 28 days at an average temperature of 17 degrees C. Malolactic fermentation was partially encouraged in barrel after the alcoholic fermentation and the lees stirred (batonnage).
Some gelatine fining was also used to clarify the wine prior to bottling.
No filtering of the wine was undertaken except at bottling when a medium filtration (split AF70/120) was undertaken.
Production was 177 cases (equivalent to 12 x 750ml bottles) under natural cork closure and the wine released to the South African market in February 2011, and in Europe during April 2011.
