Peacock Wild Ferment Chenin Blanc 2015
A rich opulent nose with flavours of stone fruit, quince, spice and lime, enhanced with a subtle, perfumed lift. The complexity of flavours carries through onto the palate with a lovely freshness and a long aromatic finish.
It is a wine that is very versatile and will go well with a variety of dishes.
variety : Chenin Blanc [ 100% Chenin Blanc ]
winemaker : Nadia Barnard
wine of origin : Western Cape
analysis : alc : 12.94 % vol rs : 3.1 g/l pH : 3.44 ta : 4.6 g/l va : 0.52 g/l
type : White style : Dry
pack : Bottle size : 750ml closure : Screwcap
in the vineyard : It’s Really All about the Vineyards
Chenin blanc is regarded as the workhorse of the South African wine industry. It produces the bulk of our generic white wines. There are, however, some gems lurking amidst the mass of Chenin blanc vineyards. Our goal is to identify these gems and allow them to be expressed in our Peacock Wild Ferment Chenin Blanc.
Our Peacock Chenin Blanc grapes are from the Helderberg Ward on the coastal outreaches of Stellenbosch (the home of Waterkloof). Old bushvine vineyards (20—50 years old), planted in Chenin friendly soils, have over time found their natural balance and it definitely shows in the wine.
And A Few Prayers To Mother Nature- 2014/15 Growing Season
The Stellenbosch area experienced a good winter with sufficient rain to fill the dams and provide enough cold units in July to have the vines in full dormancy. From August the temperatures started to rise slowly and spring arrived early with flowering occurring under ideal conditions. This ensured even ripeness which made an excellent contribution to quality. During this stage we experienced slightly windy conditions which led to looser bunches thus lower yields with more concentration.
Rainfall diminished dramatically from September with warm, dry weather and less strong winds than usual. Throughout the growing season temperatures have remained moderate, with intermittent really hot days. Veraison started about 2 weeks earlier than usual.
For the rest of the growing season we saw little rain which resulted in a very low disease pressure. Even though the days were warm we noticed that the evenings cooled down very nicely.
about the harvest: The 2015 harvest was the earliest to date at Waterkloof. We started picking around 2 weeks earlier than usual due to the early spring, but hang time was sufficient to allow phenolic ripeness. The quality of the fruit was exceptional – low pH, high acidity and clean fruit with little to no rot.
in the cellar : A Gentle Hand
We follow a ‘less is more’, minimal intervention winemaking philosophy for all our wines. Grapes are tasted at regular intervals to determine optimal ripeness level. Harvesting takes place by hand after which, the grapes are whole bunch pressed. Clarification happens naturally over a 24 hour period, without the addition of any enzymes. The juice is then fermented in tanks and to some extent in older 600L barrels, with “wild yeasts” from the grapes, which allow for the flavours in the vineyard to be expressed in the finished wine. No additions of tartaric acid are necessary, due to the natural balance found in the grapes. Fermentation took 4 months to complete and the wine was then left on the secondary lees for a further 4 months before bottling.
find our wines in :
OTHER VINTAGES
Chenin Blanc
Nadia Barnard
Chenin Blanc
Nadia Barnard
Chenin Blanc
Nadia Barnard