Family Reserve Chenin Blanc 2019

• 75cl bottle

Aromas of citrus, quince, green melon and savoury notes on the nose with layers of pear and honeysuckle on the palate. Elegant fruit and integrated French oak flavours give this wine a silky mouthfeel and a long, fresh, mineral finish. Enjoy now or mature up to 15 years at optimum storage conditions.

Vineyards

The Family Reserve Chenin Blanc 2018 was crafted from three different wards and soils (Decomposed Granite, Oakleaf and Duplex) in Stellenbosch, each contributing to the complexity of this wine. These vineyards are all over 40 years old and unirrigated bush vines. The canopy of the bush vines were suckered and tipped to ensure a cool micro climate around the grapes with no direct sun and without botrytis. The 2018 vintage was at the end of a three year drought, but these old vineyards with its well established roots looked better than ever.

Vintage

After the hat-trick of dry winter seasons (2015-2017) unfortunately 2018 proved to be not much different but was better than the 3 preceding seasons. This carried over into our growing season and meant that we had a very small crop, albeit of pleasing quality. The winter proved to be warm and rather inconsistent. The inconsistent weather was present throughout the growing season and even into the harvest period. The dry and warm conditions were alleviated to some extent by some healthy late spring rains, however, this did lead to increased disease pressure during this period and meant the viticulture team really had to be careful in their management of our vineyards to ensure healthy grapes to the winery. Having achieved this we saw some really good natural acidities and great balance in our wines. The reds came in later than normal, largely owing to relatively cool conditions in the later half of the season. This coupled with a significant rain event mid-March meant that we achieved physiological ripeness at lower sugar levels than normal and have produced, what we believe to be, some of the most elegant and balanced red wines in recent memory. Our Cabernets in particular show both density and vibrancy that has us very excited about their future. Another challenging season for the team that has, however, delivered some extremely exciting wines that will be a joy to drink over many years to come.

Winemaking

The grapes were picked separately between 22 and 24° balling, reductively crushed and the juice was given 12 -18 hours skin contact prior to settling. After only 1 day settling, we racked the cloudy juice (120ntu) to tank where it got inoculated with selected wine yeast strain. The juice was then gravity fed into 400L French oak barrels for fermentation. We only used 2nd, 3rd and 4th fill barrels to protect the delicate Chenin Blanc fruit. The wine spent an extra 8 months in barrel before we blended the components. There was no fining or filtration before bottling.

Enjoy with:

• Grilled and Roasted White Meats
• Fish/Shellfish
• Salads and Picnics

Perfect with fish dishes