in the vineyard : Background
Flanked by the Helderberg and Stellenbosch Mountain, between Stellenbosch and the False Bay coast, lies an exceptional tract of land that benefits from terroirs eminently suited to the cultivation of the highest quality wine grapes. This jewel in the crown of the magnificent Stellenbosch wine-growing region is known as the Golden Triangle. At its core lies Stellenzicht.
The award-winning Stellenzicht range reserves its Golden Triangle label for those wines which most eloquently demonstrate the unique terroir of this special part of the Helderberg, home to some of South Africa's most exceptional wines.
Vineyard Location
Sourced from six individual vineyards, the fruit used for this wine showed the diverse characters of each and was picked separately during the week of 4 to 10 April. The vineyards ranged in age between 6 and 17 years with the fruit being harvested at yields of around 2.41 tons/ha. Soils for the different vineyards are mostly classified as Tukulu and Estcort with a small portion of Oakleaf. All the vineyards are trellised.
Climatic conditions during this vintage were characterized by a relatively dry winter but with above average rainfall during February. This, together with the well below-average temperatures in February resulted in a slower-than-normal ripening period for the fruit and thus very elegant wines.
Viticulturist: Eben Archer
in the cellar : Grapes were destalked and crushed and fermented with select yeast strains in horizontal fermentation tanks with an average of eight pump-overs per day. Temperatures were allowed to reach 28° C and the wine was left on the skins for an average of 20 days before being drained and pressed.
Two thirds of the wine was allowed to complete malolactic fermentation and maturation in stainless steel tanks with oak staves while the remaining third was transferred to new barrels of French (60%), American (20%), Eastern European (15%) and Hungarian (5%) oak for this period. Maturation lasted 19 months before the final blending and preparation for bottling.
A total of 2 400 cases were bottled on 27 July 2006.