Neethlingshof The Six Flowers White Blend 2016

ageing : 

Ready to enjoy now or can be matured for another two to three years if correctly cellared.

Background
The Neethlingshof estate in Stellenbosch, owned equally by Distell and LUSAN, takes its name from its one-time 19th century owner, Marthinus Laurentius Neethling, who served as mayor of Stellenbosch and was also a member of the old Cape Parliament.
Neethlingshof’s reserve tier, formerly Lord Neethling, has been renamed The Short Story Collection. Drawing attention to the winery’s rich and varied narratives, the three-limited edition wines in the collection each focus on a specific aspect of the estate’s philosophy or history. They are made exclusively from hand-picked grapes.
Six Flowers - a white blend of Sauvignon blanc (30%), Chenin blanc (25%), Chardonnay (22%), Weisser Riesling (8%), Gewürztraminer (8%) and Viognier (7%) - highlights the story of Maria Magdalena Marais, the resourceful and feisty young widow who took over the building of the estate’s manor house after the death of her husband, Charles, in 1813. The home was completed the following year and is now a national monument. As a tribute to her children she personally created and placed six flowers representing her five children and herself in the Manor House’s gables. Still relevant today, these six flowers represent the current generation’s restoration of renosterveld vegetation that was common among the vineyards in the 1800s.

The vineyards
Planted in 2008, the Chenin blanc vineyard block comprises 3,46 ha. The vines grow in Tukulu and Oakleaf soils, 100 m above sea level on south-westerly and north-easterly facing slopes. Planted in 1999, the Chardonnay vines are established in Tukulu soils, 105 m above sea level on southerly slopes. The south-facing, 3,97ha Sauvignon blanc vineyard was established in 1997, with vines grafted onto Richter 110 rootstock. This vineyard is situated between 120 m and 180 m above sea level. The Viognier vineyard was planted in 2006 and grows in shale soils. The trellised Gewürztraminer vines, 26 years old at the time of picking and grafted onto Richter 99 rootstocks, are established in deep red Tukulu soils on the southern slopes facing False Bay. The Weisser Riesling grapes came for the estate’s Weisser on The Hill vineyard.

Vineyard management practices such as correct pruning and suckering methods were applied. Harvest quantities were closely controlled to guarantee an optimum vineyard balance. Moisture measurements were monitored to ensure supplementary irrigation was applied only when necessary.

The grapes were individually aged in new 300-litre French oak barrels for a period of eight months after which it was blended.