KWV The Mentors Semillon 2010

A full bodied wine bursting with green apple, lemon grass, citrus blossom and peach. The palate is broad and full flavoured with refreshing minerality and a crisp finish. A truly full flavoured Sémillon that will become more complex with bottle age.

Winemaker's Comment
For an exceptional wine, allow 12 - 18 months in bottle for the wine to mature and showcase its best. This wine will continue to mature in the bottle for the next 5 to 10 years and produce a complex and stylish, bottle aged Sémillon. This wine is refined, balanced and well structured with character and definition, truly a wine to treasure!

Enjoy this flavourful wine with a variety of delicate white meat dishes, such as duck or chicken dishes.

variety : Semillon [ 100% Semillon ]

winery : The Mentors

winemaker : The Winemaking Team

wine of origin :

analysis : alc : 13.58 % vol rs : 2.33 g/l pH : 3.1 ta : 6.72 g/l

type : White style : Dry body : Full wooded

pack : Bottle size : 0 closure : Cork

AWARDS

Silver: Outstanding - International Wine and Spirits Competition 2013
Bronze - Decanter World Wine Awards 2013
Bronze - 2012 Veritas Wine Awards
Silver - Michelangelo CCL Label International Wine Awards 2012
Silver - Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show 2012

ageing : Wine will continue to develop over the next 3 – 5 years, but can be cellared for more than 10 years by the serious wine connoisseur.

in the vineyard : Vineyards
The grapes for this wine were sourced from a selected group of vineyards planted on the alluvial plain where the Olifants River flows into the cold Atlantic Ocean (±300 km north of Cape Town). This area of land along the Atlantic Ocean is very exposed to cool on-shore breezes that blow like clockwork every day from around noon. The combination of the Sémillon grape, the alluvial soil and cool climate makes for the production of a terroir : varietal reflective wine.

Treatment in The Vineyard
Meticulous vineyard management of the trellised vines ensured fruit of outstanding quality that is expressive of both the Sémillon cultivar and the terroir. Vines are spur-pruned, suckered and shoots positioned within the foliage wires on a regular basis (VSP). Due to the dry climate, the incidence of disease is almost unheard of and as such the vineyards are almost never sprayed.

Vintage Conditions
The 2010 harvest will be remembered for its erratic weather changes, which posed several challenges to winemakers and viticulturists alike. A cold, but late 2009 winter preceded the growing season, providing much needed rest to the vineyards. Above average rainfall was recorded during the growing season, resulting in increased disease pressure and lower vineyard yields. Up until the end of February, the harvest season was characterised by mild weather which created favourable conditions for slow ripening and the development of berry flavours. Grape quality in general was very good, promising a range of excellent wines from the 2010 vintage.

about the harvest: Budding was earlier than expected, which resulted in an early start to the 2010 harvest.

Yield: 8.5t/ha
Harvest Date: March
Balling at Harvest: 24.2°.

in the cellar : Grapes were hand picked in the vineyards and only individually selected grapes were harvested at maximum flavour intensity. The grapes were then hand sorted in the KWV Mentors cellar, with only the best grapes progressing. After 2 hours of skin contact the juice was settled for 48 hours, clean juice racked off, inoculated with yeast and fermented at 12 - 15° C for a duration of 21 days. Sensory and sugar checks were completed on average twice a day during fermentation. The wine was left on the lees for 6 weeks and batonaged once a week before being racked for filtration and bottling.

Maturation: None
total Production: 4 000 bottles
Bottling Date: October 2010.

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