Peacock Wild Ferment Sauvignon Blanc 2016

The Peacock Wild Ferment range is named after the brightly plumed birds conspicuous in and around Waterkloof’s vineyards and if you are lucky you might just spot the albino Peacock from which the label gets its inspiration from.

When we selected the vineyard sites for our Peacock Wild Ferment Sauvignon Blanc, we looked for sites that can produce a wine of real interest, which excites the palate, develops in the glass and complements food exceptionally well.

We searched for vineyards with low yields, high natural acidity and flinty, mineral qualities – and these characteristics were found in abundance in ocean facing vineyards, within our cool Schapenberg ward, on the coastal outreaches of Stellenbosch. Seeing that this area is about 5 degrees Celsius cooler than the rest of Stellenbosch, these vineyards allow for slower ripening, a greater natural concentration of flavours and a long finish.

Grapes are tasted at regular intervals to determine the optimal ripeness level. Hand harvested.

The grapes are whole-bunch pressed in our new horizontal basket press. Only the finest, free run juice is selected from the press from which it runs down via gravity into tank. Clarification happens naturally over a 24 hour period without the addition of any enzymes. The juice is then fermented with “wild yeasts”, which allow for the flavours in the vineyard to be expressed in the wine. 

No additions of tartaric acid were necessary, due to the natural balance found in the grapes. Fermentation took 2 months to complete and the wine was left on the secondary lees for another two months before bottling.