Saronsberg Full Circle 2008

The wine has a deep, dark purple colour with prominent ripe plum, red berry and floral flavours with undertones of spice. The oak is well balanced with full, firm yet accessible tannins.


variety : Shiraz [ 83% Shiraz, 8% Grenache, 5% Mourvèdre, 4%Viognier ]
winemaker : Dewaldt Heyns
wine of origin : Breede River
analysis : alc : 15.0 % vol  rs : 2.60 g/l  pH : 3.62  ta : 5.7 g/l  va : 0.62 g/l  so2 : 82 mg/l  fso2 : 19 mg/l  
type : Red  style : Dry  body : Full  taste : Fragrant   wooded
pack : Bottle  closure : Cork  

AWARDS
  • Top SA Wines 2011
  • Diamond - Winemaker's Choice Diamond Awards 2011
  • Double Gold - Veritas 2011
  • Gold - Decanter World Wine Awards 2011
  • Gold - Michelangelo International Wine Awards 2010
  • Gold - Veritas 2010
  • Top 100 SA Wines 2010
  • in the vineyard : Cultivar: Shiraz 83%, Grenache 8%, Mourvèdre 5%, Viognier 4%
    Clones: SH1, SH22, MT11, VI642
    Rootstock: R99 and Mgt 101-14
    Age: Average 6 years
    Soil: Structured red soils with coarse gravel and weathered shale soils

    about the harvest: The grapes were hand-picked in the early morning and force cooled to 4°C. The Shiraz, Grenache and Mourvèdre components were then bunch sorted, de-stemmed and berry sorted on vibration tables by 25 highly trained staff. The berries were gently crushed into a satellite tank and deposited separately in open fermenters. The must was dejuiced by 12 to 15%. The Shiraz and Mourvèdre was given a cold soak of 4 days at 9°C protected by a CO2 blanket. The juice was pumped over once daily during this period.

    Harvest: 10 February to 3 March 2008
    Yield: 4,7 tons per hectare (32 hl/ha)
    Balling: 25.0°B
    pH: 3,30 - 3,55
    Total acid: 6,5 - 7,2 g/l

    in the cellar : The tanks were then heated to 18°C and inoculated with BM45, and D254 yeast. The fermentation temperature was allowed to peak at 28°C and then brought down to 24°C. The fermenting cap was manually punched down three times and one pump-over daily. The Shiraz was given extended maceration after fermentation for 16 days total on the skins and then pressed into 100% new Allier French oak barrels. The Mourvèdre was pressed at 0ºB and finished fermentation in barrels. The Viognier was cold fermented separately in barrels. The Grenache was partially fermented with whole bunches and punched down three times daily after which it was pressed once fermentation was completed on the skins. The press fractions were separated.

    Malolactic bacteria were inoculated and malolactic fermentation was completed in the barrel. After malolactic fermentation the wines were given a low sulphur dose and left on gross lees for 11 months. The wine was then racked, the different components blended and returned to barrels. After a total of 19 months in barrels the wine was racked and filtered through a coarse sheet filter. Bottling was done with a fine sheet filtration. The wine was bottle matured for 12 months prior to release.

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