Stellenzicht Semillon Reserve 2000

A burst of fruit on the palate, citrus, but also peaches and apricots, with a very attractive element of sweetness and toasty oak. Full-bodied, combining marmalade zest with butterscotch cream. Soft, typically waxy mouthfeel. The finish is long. Brilliant lime-green colour, with full-ripe limey, citrus-fruit aromas, mixed with vanilla and smoky oak. A concentrated, high-powered wine!

Sémillon is the ultimate food wine. It can match weighty fish and seafood dishes like sole meuniére, trout with almonds, and deep-fried calamari. It is a most suitable partner to a wide range of flavourful dishes created from veal, poultry and smoked meat. Delicious with tuna or nicoise salads or a bowl of mixed greens dressed with a combination of Sémillon (instead of vinegar) and walnut oil.

variety : Semillon [ Sémillon ]
winemaker : Guy Webber
wine of origin : Coastal
analysis : alc : 14.79 % vol  rs : 3.3 g/l  pH : 3.18  ta : 5.6 g/l  va : 0.44 g/l  so2 : 134 mg/l  fso2 : 50 mg/l  
 wooded
pack : Bottle  

AWARDS
The International Wine & Spirit Competition 2002 - Commended
Veritas 2001 - Bronze
For three consecutive years the 1996, 1997 and 1998 Stellenzicht Semillon Reserve were judged the best South African white wines at the International Wine and Spirit Competition in London.

ageing : The Stellenzicht Sémillons are renowned for their longevity. The 2000 is drinking well already, but, like a great white wine of Bordeaux, it will unfold even more and put on further weight when cellared. It shows very good overall balance which bodes well for the future.

in the vineyard : The sémillon vines which were planted in 1986 in decomposed granite soil, are grafted onto Richter 99 rootstock.They are grown on a five wire fence and received no supplementary irrigation. The yield was a very low 4.4 tonnes per hectare.

about the harvest: The grapes were harvested on 23 February 2000 at an average Balling of 25.4 degrees.

in the cellar : Only free-run juice was gathered in stainless-steel tanks where the first 5 degrees Balling were fermented out, following inoculation with the WE14 yeast strain. Fermentation was completed in 100% new French oak: Francois Frere (50%), Radoux (25%), Vicard (13%) and Saure (12%). Only 70% of malolactic fermentation has been completed. The wine spent a total of just over 8 months in wood. Bâtonnage took place every two weeks for two months, and thereafter only once every month. After stabilization, the wine was ready to be bottled on 4 January 2001.

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