Rietvallei Estate 1908 Red Muscadel 2018

Deep red in color, full-bodied, rich, yet gentle. A floral bouquet comes through on the nose, with typical raisiny sweetness and an intense flavor that lingers on the palate and follows through on the aftertaste while the acidity complements and balances the sweetness. Additional bottle maturation gives excellent results.

Pair with noble cheeses and almost any dessert...delicious with rich chocolate or strawberries & ice cream. Serve at room temperature (18°C). Enjoy as an aperitif or as a winter warmer in front of the fireplace on a chilly evening.

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variety : Muscat de Frontignan [ 100 Muscat de Frontignan ]

winery : Rietvallei Wine Estate

winemaker : Kobus Burger

wine of origin : Robertson

analysis : alc : 15.28 % vol rs : 171.5 g/l pH : 3.54 ta : 4.4 g/l va : 0.19 g/l so2 : 91 mg/l fso2 : 7 mg/l

type : Fortified style : Sweet body : Full taste : Fruity

pack : Bottle size : 375ml closure : Cork

ageing : 10+ years

This wine is still made according to the original Burger family recipe as passed down through the generations since 1864. Most of the traditional winemaking techniques are also still followed to this day for this special wine, like the fermentation in open concrete tanks; the wetting of the cap by manual punch down every two hours during skin contact, and brief fermentation; and finally the use of a hand-operated basket press. You could really say that this wine is hand-made.

in the vineyard : This unique wine is made exclusively from the oldest Muscadel (Muscat de Frontignan) vines in South Africa, planted on Rietvallei Estate in 1908 by the second generation of the Burger family. The Muscadel is in the form of bush vines and consists of approximately a quarter of a hectare. At 103 years of age (at picking this specific vintage) these bush vines have an extremely low yield, resulting in excellent fruit concentration.

about the harvest: The bush vines were harvested by hand at 28 °Balling (Brix).

in the cellar : after slight crushing taken to open concrete fermentation tanks. Here it was kept on the skins for two days for color and flavor extraction. During this time the mash was worked every two hours through manual punch-downs and pump-overs. On day three the must naturally started fermenting and fortification with pure wine spirits was done on the skins. Extra skin contact was then allowed for another two days before racking and pressing. The must be then left on its primary fermentation lees for six months after which it was racked again and allowed to further tank mature for 12 months on the fine lease before bottling.This maturation is essential for the marriage of the spirits and the wine.

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