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Ernie Els Big Easy Chenin Blanc 2018

The Big Easy Chenin is punchy and concentrated in the dry 2018 vintage. Ripe kumquat, summer melon, straw and hints of spice on the nose lead to a deep, fruity palate. It is crisp and fresh, but offers a soft and creamy mouthfeel. The finish is long and nutty, maintaining notes of citrus throughout.

The fruit is ripe and easy-going, but the palate ends dry and savoury, suggesting excellent versatility with food.
variety : Chenin Blanc [ 100% Chenin Blanc ]
winery : Ernie Els Wines
winemaker : Louis Strydom
wine of origin : Western Cape
analysis : alc : 13.25 % vol  rs : 1.7 g/l  pH : 3.31  ta : 5.6 g/l  
type : White  style : Dry  body : Medium  taste : Fruity  
pack : Bottle  size : 750ml  closure : Screwcap  
in the vineyard : The 2017 Vintage
Challenging conditions led to a reduced wine grape crop for South African producers in 2017, but grapes were healthy and concentrated flavours promise good wines. The winter started off late in most of the regions but the weather conditions were cold enough to break dormancy. Spring came on time and the weather conditions were ideal which led to good, even bud burst. The summer weather was warm, which restricted the growth and constituted lower bunch masses and smaller berries. However, the dry conditions led to the vineyards and grapes being very healthy overall. Smaller berries led to more concentrated colour and flavour on the positive side and good wines are expected from the 2017 harvest. The harvest period staTHE 2018 VINTAGE

The 2018 harvest season will be remembered as the drought season. At Ernie Els Wines we are very blessed to have bountiful water on the Helderberg. We were however still careful with our water use during the summer months leading up to harvest. We’ve also been working hard to adapt our viticultural techniques during the past 3 years to help the vineyards cope optimally with the heat and limited irrigation. The drought was further buffer by a surprisingly, and fancifully cooler season. Due to the somewhat buffered circumstances the vines reacted gracefully to the drought with no abnormal growth patters observed. Vine canopies were kept nice and thin for sunlight and of course less leaves means less water needed. Vineyards are resilient plants and its natural instinct in drier years are to produce smaller bunches with smaller berries. Small berries are usually the start of a great wine and 2018 was no different. The white wines from the 2018 vintage appear to have a great vintage specific concentration.

ABOUT THE VINEYARD
The Chenin Blanc grapes were harvested from individually selected, low yielding bush and trellised vines from the Perdeberg region nearby Paarl.
about the harvest: February 2018. 23.0° Brix average sugar at harvest.
in the cellar : The grapes were hand-picked in the cool of early morning. On the sorting table, all excess stalks and inferior berries were carefully removed. Grape bunches were gently de-stemmed and lightly crushed. The wine was settled overnight and the sediment racked-off the following day. Fermentation took place at low temperatures (12-14°C) in stainless steel tanks with a combination of yeasts, over a two week period. Post fermentation lees contact was maintained for two months with weekly stirring of the lees before racking and stabilization prior to bottling. This wine is crafted in a fresh style without any oak component.
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OTHER VINTAGES

Ernie Els Big Easy Chenin Blanc 2018
Chenin Blanc
Ernie Els Big Easy Chenin Blanc 2017
Chenin Blanc
Ernie Els Big Easy Chenin Blanc 2016
Chenin Blanc