Colour: Light yellow straw colour with green tinges.
Bouquet: Aromas of peach, guava, gooseberry and passion fruit.
Taste: An elegant wine expressing a good balance between the refreshing acidity of Sauvignon Blanc and the softness of the Chenin Blanc.
An ideal sipping wine, it also makes an excellent partner to fish, pasta and poultry dishes.
in the vineyard : This Distell label takes its name from the two great oceans that converge at the Cape, the Indian and the Atlantic. The Cape’s Coastal Region enjoys a temperate climate, cooled by day-time maritime breezes from both oceans and a drop in night-time temperatures to allow grapes to ripen slowly. In addition, the moderate humidity means vines are far less prone to disease than in areas with higher moisture levels.
The winemaker works very closely with a team of viticulturists and he rigorously supervises pruning, suckering and canopy management for optimal crop yield. During the ripening season the grapes are tasted daily for ripeness and also chemically analysed to ensure they are picked when varietal flavours are most concentrated and there is a good balance between fruit and acid.
The vineyards (viticulturist: Bennie Liebenberg)
The Chenin Blanc grapes were sourced from vineyards in the Paarl and Worcester areas, planted between 1970 and 1982, some 100 m to 200 m above sea level. The Sauvignon Blanc grapes were sourced in Stellenbosch, planted between 1985 and 1990. All these trellised vines were planted between 100 m and 250 m above sea level, and all the vineyards were unirrigated so that controlled water stress could limit the yield and intensity the flavour.
in the cellar : The Chenin Blanc grapes were harvested by hand at 23° Balling and received minimal skin contact before being fermented at 13°C to 15°C in stainless steel tanks. The Sauvignon Blanc grapes were harvested by hand between 22° and 23° Balling and received three hours’ skin contact 10°C, whereafter it was fermented in stainless steel tanks at 12° for 10 days.