Spier Frans K Smit White Blend 2025

Nose and palate: Beautiful notes of Cape Gooseberry, blackcurrant leaf, sage and elderflower supported by subtle grapefruit and white oak spice. The palate shows great balance, with fruit density, freshness and a touch of oak- derived richness. The vibrant aftertaste is supported with beautiful balance between acidity and powdery oak tannin, leaving a hint of creaminess and oystershell minerality. This wine will develop more depth with ageing.

Colour: Pale yellow with youthful green rim

Braised, herb crusted sea bass with sage butter, new potatoes and pickled artichoke or roasted aubergine, filled with roasted tomatoes, chickpeas, thyme and goats’ cheese with a caramelised onion crumble

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variety : Sauvignon Blanc [ 67% Sauvignon Blanc, 33% Sémillon ]

winery : Spier Wine Farm

winemaker : Frans K. Smit/ Johan Jordaan

wine of origin : Coastal Region

analysis : alc : 13.53 % vol rs : 2.9 g/l pH : 3.35 ta : 6 g/l

type : White

pack : Bottle size : 750ml closure : Cork

AWARDS

2026 Tim Atkin - 93 points

ageing : 4–6 years after harvest

Frans Smit was Spier’s prodigious Cellar Master for 27 formative years. In honour of his remarkable influence and ongoing legacy, the Frans K. Smit wines represent the highest echelon of our winemaking craft. Produced in extremely limited quantities, the coveted blends are complex, nuanced and enjoyed around the world. After passing the Cellar Master baton to his successor Johan Jordaan in 2021, Frans and Johan continue to collaborate creatively on this wine in the vineyard and cellar.

in the vineyard : This blend of grapes is grown on the cool south-southwest-facing slopes of the Tygerberg ward of Durbanville and high lying vineyard from the western facing slopes of Darling. These shale and weathered granite soils are suitable for dryland cultivation and ensures the vines strive their hardest for water resulting in thick skinned fruit with concentrated flavours. The crafting hinges on constant tending in the vineyard. Canopy management is done by removing some of the leaves early in the season to let the sunlight in, to break down pyrazines for a richer, more complex fruit profile. These grew back during the course of the summer, providing cooling during the hottest period. We pick selectively, choosing riper bunches identified by colour and taste. The vineyards are close to the cold Atlantic Ocean, and the cooling afternoon summer breeze allow the grapes to hang longer on the vine, resulting in slow, ripening of the flavour and tannin profile.

about the harvest: We picked selectively, in the cool of pre-dawn.

in the cellar : The grapes, packed in small 20 kg lugs, went directly to the winery, where they were kept cold, beforehand sorting, and pressed. This vintage of Sauvignon Blanc was handled like this to ensure great fruit presentation and minimal phenolic extraction. Free run juice was settled and transferred to barrel for fermentation.

A small portion of this juice was fermented unsettled, resulting in high concentration of flavour. The Semillon fruit was destemmed and pressed, before settling and transfer of the free run juice to barrel for fermentation. The fermentation lasted about 10 - 14 days.

After initial fermentation in barrel, the wine was kept on the fine lees for the development of the palate and to add depth of character. The total maturation period of 9 months added to the complexity and richness of this wine.

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OTHER VINTAGES

Spier Frans K Smit White Blend 2025

Sauvignon Blanc

Frans K. Smit/ Johan Jordaan