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Lammershoek LAM White 2013

Fresh fruit and acid dominate this old vine Chenin Blanc, Viognier and Chardonnay blend. Low alcohol and natural acid are key to ensuring that the wine will age. On the nose a sense of coolness is the first impression, and then the subtle, fresh flavours of Chenin and Viognier become apparent, the Chardonnay adding a touch of weight. There are none of the typical waxy characteristics that one normally finds on a Swartland Viognier and Chenin Blanc blend. This is our best attempt for the LAM White yet.

variety : Chenin Blanc [ Chenin Blanc 54%, Viognier 31%, Chardonnay 15% ]
winemaker : Craig Hawkins
wine of origin : 
analysis : alc : 12 % vol  rs : 2.1 g/l  pH : 3.36  ta : 5.5 g/l  so2 : 24 mg/l  fso2 : 7 mg/l  
type : White  style : Dry   wooded
pack : Bottle  size : 0  closure : Screwcap  

ageing : 8 - 10 years
in the vineyard : Farmed dry-land, thus not irrigated. The Chenin vines are roughly 43 year old bushvines and the vineyard lies on a big bank of hard granite rock which naturally stresses the vines. The Viognier and Chardonnay vines are also on varying degrees of decomposed granite but on opposite slopes of the valley thus different ripening patterns are observed and there is more to play with in the cellar. There is no specific recipe that we use; each vineyard block is treated according to their strengths and weaknesses. The grapes are hand harvested into small 20kg lugs in the early morning. The vines are farmed organically; the ultimate goal is to use biodynamic principles that work for us on our specific soils/climate.
about the harvest: The 2013 harvest was preceded by one of the wettest winters in the last decade. This was a very good thing as it allowed a longer more balanced growing season, enabling the vineyards to grow without stressing as much as the 2011 and 2012 vintages. The grapes were harvested by hand on the 24th and 26th of January and the 4th of February. The pH, because of the extra water in the soil and the vines not stressing as much, were slightly higher than usual but stable. We like to think this difference in pH of about 0.2 makes the wine more accessible earlier on.
in the cellar : The grapes were 100% whole bunch pressed in a small pneumatic bag press or basket press. No settling was carried out and no fining agents, enzymes, tannins, acid or SO2 were added at crushing. The juice was allowed to ferment in INOX tanks at temperatures of around 25°C. No cooling was needed during fermentation. The three wines were blended after going dry and racked off their thick lees, but a large amount of lees was still retained to feed the wine. The wine was aged in concrete tank for 11½ months and never saw wood. Malolactic fermentation was carried out naturally, this was not a concern as the wine had a high enough natural acidity for MLF.
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OTHER VINTAGES

Lammershoek LAM White 2013
Chenin Blanc