Durbanville Hills Tangram White Blend 2021

Pale straw with green edges. Powerful bouquet of fresh orange rind, blackcurrants, persimmons and lemon grass. While shy at first, subtle floral nuances of newly flowering lemon blossoms lead way to a perfumed and flinty nose as the wine opens up. Rich, creamy fullness with concentrated complexity of lemon and lime, minerality and green melon on the finish. The wine is well-integrated and balanced reminiscent of Southern Bourdeaux white blend.

Exquisite when served with a creamy Coq Au Vin, buttery game fish, sticky short rib, or a creamy, citrus zest-driven shellfish dish.

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variety : Sauvignon Blanc [ 88% Sauvignon Blanc, 12% Semillon ]

winery : Durbanville Hills Wine

winemaker : Martin Moore, Gunther Kellerman

wine of origin : Durbanville

analysis : alc : 14.17 % vol rs : 2.37 g/l pH : 3.27 ta : 7.05 g/l

type : White style : Dry body : Full taste : Fruity wooded

pack : Bottle size : 750ml closure : Screwcap

AWARDS

2023 Prescient Sauvignon Blanc Report - 94 Points
2023 Michelangelo Awards - Gold

ageing : For optimum enjoyment, decant at least one hour before consumption and serve at 15 and 18 °C. If stored in optimal conditions, the wine will last at least a decade.

Cool, wet climatic conditions pre-2021 harvest created an opportunity to replenish water reserves, although it also kept producers on their toes regarding vineyard management. This resulted in a high-quality wine with good aging potential.

The tangram is a Chinese geometrical puzzle consisting of five triangles, a square and a rhomboid, which can be arranged to make various forms and pictures to tell a story. To master the Tangram, one has to look at the whole puzzle to understand and form the myriad of images to be shaped. Our Tangram is skillfully crafted from the following seven elements; our three wine makers, earth, wind, fire & water. A noble blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon was created. This wine was rested in French oak barrels for 10 months and is an expression of an illustrious cool climate wine.

in the vineyard : The Sauvignon Blanc grapes were selected from three vineyards blocks on the southern slopes where the valley opens up towards the West Coast. A 32-year-old bush vine block is situated lower than the other two and enjoys the most wind protection. A big percentage of grapes were selected from this block resulting in the classical and mineral character of the wine.

The two 18-year-old trellised vineyards higher up on the hill supplied the more typical fruity aromas. At a height of 180 to 200 meters above sea, they are exposed to the cool southeasterly breezes blowing in from nearby False Bay.

The Semillon block was planted in 1996 in the cool heart of the valley, where the vines are known to contribute to the fullness of the palate. Satellite technology was used to identify the premium spots in each block. Only grapes from these spots were harvested and used to make this wine. The decision on when to pick was made by regularly tasting the grapes to establish the ripening profile and prevent overly fruity grapes to enable complexity rather than mere fruitiness. To safeguard gentle handling of the grapes during harvest, the winemakers hand-selected a dedicated team that picked the grapes, ensuring a careful selection of the best fruit in the vineyard.

about the harvest: Both the Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon were handpicked at optimum ripeness in the early morning.

in the cellar : The grapes were crushed and allowed to cold settle for three days, with lees stirring once a day. The clean juice was racked to a stainless-steel fermentation tank and inoculated with a selected yeast strain. The first 5˚B of fermentation was done in tank and thereafter transferred to barrels to complete fermentation.

The winemakers selected a combination of new and old French oak barrels; focusing on three sizes, namely 300 litre, 500 litre and 600 litres to mature the wine for a further 10 months to ensure a better extraction of the flavours and overall complexity. During maturation the wine was regularly stirred to add complexity to the blend. After maturation, the winemaking team spent a number of days selecting the best barrels to create the perfect blend.

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