variety : Sauvignon Blanc [ 100% Sauvignon Blanc ]
winemaker : Johan Joubert
wine of origin : Western Cape
analysis :
type : White style : Very Dry body : Full taste : Herbaceous
pack : Bottle closure : Cork
in the vineyard : At Kleine Zalze we recognize that each of the five different regions that we selected our grapes from, contributes each in creating our Family Reserve Sauvignon Blanc style.
40% come from Stellenbosch, 40% from Durbanville, 10% from Darling, 5% from Walker Bay and 5% from the West Coast. Only the best bunches from the various blocks from vineyards, not further than 10 kilometers from the sea, were harvested separately at night to ensure optimal freshness. A combination of decomposed granite soil from Stellenbosch, Scali soils from Durbanville and Darling regions, resulted in berries with green fig, pea and asparagus flavours. Through canopy management ripening were obtained in perfect micro and macro climate conditions, resulting in higher flavour levels of parazine in the juice. The temperature of ripening were 1,5°C higher than the temperature of 2010 and managed by monitoring the water retention levels of the soils.
in the cellar : On arrival in the cellar, the grapes were destalked and left on the skins. After racking the juice were inoculated with selected yeast strains and cold fermented. With a slow fermentation the wine was fermented for 3 weeks and left on the lees. Each of the five tanks received a ten month lees contact period. The components were blended and left for another one month to ensure a good fruit integration from the different regions before bottling.