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Waterkloof Sauvignon Blanc 2008

Name: Waterkloof Sauvignon Blanc 2008
Brand: Waterkloof
SKU: 19016

The very strong South Easterly winds blowing through spring and early summer helps to shape the mineral core of this wine. It also cools the vineyard which allows ripe flavours to develop. Waterkloof Sauvignon blanc shows great purity and elegance with a long persistent finish.

variety : Sauvignon Blanc [ 100% Sauvignon Blanc ]

winery : Waterkloof

winemaker : Werner Engelbrecht

wine of origin : Western Cape

analysis : alc : 14 % vol rs : 3.4 g/l pH : 3.25 ta : 6.00 g/l va : 0.39 g/l

type : White style : Dry taste : Mineral wooded

pack : Bottle closure : Cork

in the vineyard : Waterkloof Sauvignon Blanc was born on the South West facing, low yielding, and windswept slopes of Schaapenberg (overlooking False Bay). Here the blustery South Easter (and sometimes the North West as well), churns up the vineyards with regularity. This not only allows for a very low crop, but the flavours intensify to a flinty minerality.

The 2 single vineyards are about 4 kilometres from the sea, and are planted at a height of between 270 and 300 meters above sea level. The soils are of sandstone origin with medium size stones, helping with drainage but it also have a very good ability to retain moisture. The vineyards are of an average age of between 10 and 12 years. Production was approximately 5 tons/ha.

2007/8 GROWING SEASON
A winter which provided much needed rain and cold weather was followed by a cool, wet spring. The regular rains during spring and the early parts of the summer did lead to higher than normal disease pressure. We had to increase our spraying intervals in order to insure that our vineyards stay free from disease. Cloudy periods during flowering resulted in irregular set. Bunches were lose and the berries small which allowed for an even veraison. The cool weather during spring followed through into the early parts of summer. It allowed us to pick the whites during cool conditions.

about the harvest: We mainly rely on tasting the grapes to determine the optimum stage of flavour development. Grapes are picked early in the morning when they are still cool which helps to preserve the flavours.

in the cellar : Extracting juice from the grape skins are achieved through pressing the whole bunches. This is the most delicate way to extract the juice. After a settling of 24 hours, the juice is racked to the fermentation tanks. We allow the yeast occurring naturally on the grapes to start and complete the fermentation. A portion(25%) of the grapes were fermented in old 600 litre barrels. After a very slow fermentation, the wine was left on the primary lease up to bottling during mid December. This helped to add more complexity and weight to the palate.

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