in the vineyard : Viticulturist: Drikus Heyns
The grapes for this, one of South Africa’s most popular dry white wines, were sourced from Cape Riesling (Cruchen Blanc) vineyards in the Paarl Valley. Planted between 1969 and 1975 the vines grow on south/south-westerly slopes situated at between 80m and 120m above sea level, in Kroonstad soils. The vines, grafted onto nematode resistant rootstock Richter 99 and 101-14, received supplementary irrigation from an overhead sprinkler system.
about the harvest: The grapes were harvested by hand and machine at between 19,5° and 20,5° Balling in early February.
in the cellar : They were crushed immediately and then cool-fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks for two to three weeks at 13°C following settling at 10°C for 48 hours. After the completion of alcoholic fermentation, the wine was racked and left on its fining until blending. The wine was made reductively to preserve freshness and flavour, as this variety is particularly prone to oxidation.