in the vineyard : Almond Grove, a single vineyard with deep, well-drained red Karoo soils, is the source of this Weisser Riesling. About once every three vintages, damp warm weather conditions in this vineyard are optimal for the development of Botrytis Cineria, “Noble Rot.†This concentrates sugars, acids, flavors and aromas and enables us to produce this late harvest wine. The perfect hang time on the vine combined with very selective picking was necessary to harvest these extremely ripe grapes. The Almond Grove farm has been owned by the Baard family since 1979, one of Robertson Winery’s 43 member families.
Farm: Almond Grove
Soil type: Deep, well-drained red Karoo soils with a high lime content
Trellising: Four-wire Perold system
Water management: Regulated drip irrigation
Row direction: East to West
in the cellar : Fermentation: Fermentation took place small fermenters at 15° Celsius for 5 weeks
Barrel maturation: No oak maturation
Bottling date: Last week in May 2003
Long, slow fermentation at 15°Celsius took 35 days. After the alcohol content reached 10%, the wine was tasted frequently to determine the precise point when the alcohol and residual sugar levels are in balance.