Teddy Hall Chenin Blanc Reserve 2008

A rich golden colour with the faintest of green tinges, the nose offers abundant nougat, pineapple and summer fruit aromas. On the palate there's a distinct dryness with the vanillins of the oak counterbalancing the tropical fruit and baked apple flavours. Underlining the wine's pedigree is an intense finish which lingers long after the mouthful has been swallowed.

Suitably versatile, the Chenin blanc Reserve will pair well with a range of seafood dishes, chicken, pasta or vegetarian fare. TO VIEW OUR VIDEO CLICK HERE.

variety : Chenin Blanc [ 100% Chenin blanc ]
winery : Teddy Hall Wines
winemaker : Teddy Hall
wine of origin : Stellenbosch
analysis : alc : 14 % vol  rs : 1.8 g/l  pH : 3.06  ta : 7.0 g/l  
type : White  style : Dry  
pack : Bottle  closure : Cork  

ageing : Still young, this wine will continue to improve for many years. However it will drink well at between three and five years old - so around 2011 to 2013.

in the vineyard : Originally planted in 1986, the Chenin blanc bush vines are well suited to the broken shale soils on this unique hillside site in the Koelenhof hills. Irrigation is provided by means of overhead sprinklers only when truly needed, but the vineyard is in essence a dry land one. As a result the average yield is a relatively low 4.9 tons per hectare - but the quality is superb!

about the harvest: Once the sugar levels or ripeness had reached 24.5° Balling the grapes were picked. That took place on successive days in February - the 20th and 21st respectively. Acidity was recorded at an average of 7.4g/l and the pH at the time of harvest was 3.1.

in the cellar : As is standard practice, the grapes arrived at the winery in the early morning - before the fruit warmed up with the heat of the day. Only the free run juice was used for this Reserve wine. It was settled overnight in stainless steel tank. The clear juice and fluffy lees was racked off first thing the next morning, directly into French oak barriques - and left to start fermenting on its own. No commercial yeasts were used. The barriques were topped up two months after fermentation stopped naturally. They were then tightly sealed until just a few days before bottling when I tasted through the barrels to make my selection. The oak was 35% new with the remainder a combination of second and third-fill. Depending on the vintage conditions, the wine spends between 8 and 12 months in barrique.

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Chenin Blanc