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Ernie Els Big Easy [WHITE] 2012

The second release of this very popular wine once again leaps from the glass with an extreme tropical vibrancy. A mélange of strawberry and pineapple flavours are all wound up by a limey-streak on the nose. Following through to a light but deft palate, the intense fruit strikes a perfect balance with creamy softness, and chalky minerality. Long and racy, the Big Easy Chenin Blanc is a fun yet engaging wine that is to be enjoyed now, with or without food.

variety : Chenin Blanc [ 100% Chenin Blanc ]

winery : Ernie Els Wines

winemaker : Louis Strydom

wine of origin : Stellenbosch

analysis : alc : 13.59 % vol rs : 4.2 g/l pH : 3.39 ta : 6.3 g/l

type : White style : Dry body : Light taste : Fruity

pack : Bottle size : 0 closure : Cork

AWARDS

Veritas Wine Awards 2012 - Gold Medal

in the vineyard : The 2012 vintage
The 13th harvest for Ernie Els Wines was extremely pleasing. It’s still early days; we do however feel that this vintage has the potential to be of a very high standard. After fairly stable climatic conditions throughout the second semester of 2011, a cold and wet spring slowed down activity within the vines. We experienced warm weather in late December which led to some vigorous foliage growth. The bunch counts revealed the number of bunches being above normal, so "green harvesting" was needed in January. (Green harvesting is the removal of immature grape bunches for the purpose of decreasing yield and thus maintaining intensity on the remaining fruit.) It's particularly pleasing to report that there was no apparent sickness in the vineyards. Moderate to warm temperatures from the second half of February were prevalent as expected, but cool conditions throughout March slowed the ripening of the vines and assisted in improving phenolic ripeness of the grapes. There were some early rains during April but luckily 95% of crop was already harvested at this stage.

About the vineyard
The grapes were harvested from low yielding vines from three different appellations. Each viticulture area gives its own unique flavour profile to the final blend. Wine was mainly sourced from cooler coastal regions.

about the harvest: The grapes were hand-picked in the cool of early morning.
Harvest: February & March, 2012. 22.1° Brix average sugar at harvest

in the cellar : Grape bunches were gently destalked with a Bucher de-stalker and lightly crushed. The wine was settled overnight and the sediment racked-off the following day. Fermentation took place at low temperatures in stainless steel tanks with a combination of yeasts. This wine is made in a fresh and fruity style without any wood component.

Production: 5,166 x 6 x 750ml cases

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