KWV The Mentors Grenache Blanc 2010

This refreshing wine displays a variety of flavours on the nose and palate. Perfume, orange peel and marshmallow combined with white peach, mineral, lime and subtle spicy notes are only some flavours in this multi-layered wine. The creamy palate is well balanced and structured with hints of cashews, restrained oak and linear acidity. The aftertaste is fresh and bursting with flavour.

Winemaker's Comments
This wine is a tribute to the Mentors Cellar. A place where small batches of premium fruit meet modern wine making equipment, sheer passion and love for producing wines of excellence and driven by an experimental and innovative nature.

A wine like this is a testament of all the above factors. Watch this wine gain complexity over the next few years.

"When love and skill work together, expect a masterpiece."

Enjoy on its own or with light salmon or fish dishes and delicately flavoured creamy risotto.

variety : Grenache [ 100% Grenache ]

winery : The Mentors

winemaker : The Winemaking Team

wine of origin : Paarl

analysis : alc : 14.20 % vol rs : 2.77 g/l pH : 3.03 ta : 7.01 g/l

type : Red

pack : Bottle size : 0 closure : Cork

ageing : 4 - 6 years

in the vineyard : Treatment in vineyard
The vineyard is planted on granite based soils in the heart of Paarl. Even though the vineyard is relatively young, it produces a variety of different fruit flavours that add complexity to the resulting wine. The vineyard is meticulously controlled to ensure that the fruit will be optimally ripe at harvest time, to produce a concentrated, flavourful wine.

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.

Harvest Date: Middle February
Balling at harvest: 23.6°
Yield: 30t/ha

in the cellar : Grapes where destemmed and crushed and the juice was settled overnight. The juice was inoculated with a yeast strain selected and isolated from the Rhone valley in France. Halfway through fermentation a portion of the juice was transferred to barrel to complete fermentation, preserve clean fruit flavours and minerality and for further maturation. No malolactic fermentation was allowed at any stage. The barrel component was fermented slightly warmer to get more richness and complexity whilst the tank portion was fermented cool to allow maximum fruit expression and freshness.

Both components where kept on lees for 80 days and stirred regularly. Although only second and third fill barrels where used for the oak component, 40% of the tank fermented wine was blended back to achieve the desired fruit and oak balance.

Maturation: 6 months (15% second + 85% third fill)
Total Production: 5 300 bottles
Bottling Date: October 2010

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OTHER VINTAGES

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The Winemaking Team

KWV The Mentors Grenache Blanc 2010

Grenache

The Winemaking Team