Durbanville Hills The Scout Pinot Grigio 2015

Nine leading vineyard owners in the Durbanville district joined forces with Distell to create Durbanville Hills with the aim of promoting the regional individuality of this prime wine-growing area. The striking Durbanville Hills cellar sits on the side of a series of rolling hills with magnificent views of Table Mountain and Table Bay - the very geography that lies at the heart of what makes the wines so unique. The Durbanville ward is considered one of the Cape’s coolest wine regions, thanks to the sea breezes that drift inland from False Bay and Table Bay and the early morning mists that bathe the slopes. These conditions are ideal for the slow ripening of the grapes, allowing them to develop their full-flavoured, intense character.

Meticulous canopy management promotes concentration of varietal flavour. Cellar master Martin Moore uses highly advanced cellar technology to ensure optimal extraction of colour and flavour. Sustainable practices include maintaining the disciplines imposed by International Environmental Standard ISO 140001 such as in the treatment of waste water back to irrigation quality. In all its vineyards the growing practices prescribed by IPW (Integrated Production of Wine) are followed. These are designed to sustain natural resources. In addition, the members protect on their farms 320 ha of endangered Renosterveld as part of the Biodiversity Wine Initiative (BWI).

Vineyard consultant: Henk van Graan
The Pinot Grigio grapes were sourced from vineyards situated on Westerly slopes facing Table Bay. Sheltered from the morning sun the vineyards are exposed throughout the day to cool sea breezes. The winter preceding the 2015 vintage was wet and cold and the crucial flavour producing ripening period was cool and dry resulting in very healthy grapes with small berries and concentrated flavour.

The range reflects the quest of our winemakers to explore new winemaking techniques, interesting varietals and blends, as well as survey growing consumer trends to offer consumers something unique each year to look forward to.

To ensure minimal colour extraction from the Pinot Gris grapes, the grapes were pressed immediately without any skin contact, resulting in a light grey juice colour which became lighter during fermentation. About 40% of the wine was fermented in stainless steel tanks with the balance matured in 3rd and 4th fill 300 litre French oak barrels for 9 months.