Hill&Dale Sauvignon Blanc 2013

Colour: The sparkling clarity of this wine, with delicate green tinges at the edges, provides the initial enticement into trying it.
Bouquet: Fresh, sweet nuances of poached pears, gooseberry, guava and herbs add to the vibrant appeal of the wine.
Taste: Initially complex and creamy with well-balanced acidity, the wine has a classically full mid-palate and vibrant finish. The aftertaste is, paradoxically, both sweet and dry and entices the saliva glands in preparation for the next sip.

Perfectly enjoyable on its own, but for an ideal match, pair it with green, leafy salads with toasted nuts, trout almandine, sole veronique and pastas with rocket pesto.

variety : Sauvignon Blanc [ 100% Sauvignon Blanc ]

winery : Hill and Dale

winemaker : Guy Webber assisted by Nataleé Botha

wine of origin : Stellenbosch

analysis : alc : 13.33 % vol rs : 3.0 g/l pH : 3.45 ta : 5.6 g/l so2 : 138 mg/l

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

pack : Bottle size : 0 closure : Screwcap

ageing : While crisp and delicate in its youth, more complex and subtle characters can be expected with further cellaring up to an age of about three years.

in the vineyard : Background
Stellenzicht's Hill&Dale label offers a range of accessiblystyled wines with a New World character for international appeal, created by award-winning winemaker Guy Webber.

Grapes for the Hill&Dale wines are selected from vineyards within the Stellenbosch region. Extensive vineyard management programmes are in place for each of the vineyards from which the fruit is selected. All aspects of the process are strictly governed so as to comply with not only the standards set for the Integrated Production of Wine (IPW) system, but also with the quality standards set for HACCP and the BRC (British Retail Consortium).

The name for the range was derived from Stellenzicht's Hillandale farm, located just outside the town of Stellenbosch. The logo on the label depicts an oak tree leaf, synonymous with the historic university town.

Vineyards (viticulturist: Quintus van Wyk)
The grapes were sourced mainly from trellised vineyards growing at 100m to 200m above sea level on the cool Stellenbosch slopes. These are either south-facing or located where maritime breezes help to reduce temperatures during the final stages of ripening. The vines grow in decomposed granite soils and Table Mountain sandstone. With rainfall figures well above the average and overall temperatures well below the average, 2013 was seen as an almost ideal vintage for Sauvignon blanc.

about the harvest: The grapes were harvested by hand at between 22.5° and 23.5° Balling.

in the cellar : The grapes from each vineyard were vinified separately. After destalking and crushing, the juice was separated immediately from the skins to avoid tannin extraction. Pure yeast cultures were used for fermentation in stainless steel tanks at about 16°C for 21 days.

There was no extended lees contact after fermentation and the wine was allowed to clarify naturally under gravity for two months before blending.

A total of 20 406 cases of 12 x 750ml bottles was produced with the first bottling taking place on 3 June 2013.

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