in the vineyard : Origin:
This wine was made from grapes originating from vineyards growing in different regions in the Cape winelands - Darling (39%), Durbanville (25%), Franschhoek (15%), Paarl (9%), Walker Bay (8%) and Stellenbosch (2%).
Vintage:
It was a late and very cold winter, with heavy snowfalls in and around Franschhoek. Budding was even and due to the damp soil caused by the late winter, favourable growing conditions were experienced during spring.
Summer conditions were relatively cool and dry, with results that grapes were picked two weeks later than usual. Only one heat wave, on 4 January, was an abnormal condition during an otherwise perfect season.
Throughout the season there was little reason for disease and grapes were very healthy.
Viticulture:
All the vineyards have unique macro climates and grow in a large variety of soil types. Different clones are represented. All vineyards are trellised in accordance with the Perold system and are managed to be perfectly in balance in terms of leaf coverage and yield.
Thanks to the different terroirs, each region produces its own distinctive grapes. The result is that each region makes a unique contribution in flavour and structure. Furthermore, each terroir has its own time of ripening and grapes were harvested over a period of one month.
in the cellar : Fermentation was at 25 degrees Celsius. After fermentation, there was extended skin contact for up to 20 days.
The wine was matured in 225-litre oak barrels for the duration of the malolactic fermentation. Subsequently, there was 16 months' maturation in 225-litre oak barrels - 30% new, 30% second-fill and 40% third-fill (85% French, 10% American and 5% Hungarian). After selection of the best barrels the wine was blended and 4,000 cartons (12 x 750 ml) were bottled on 05 April 2006 and released as 2004 La Motte Shiraz.