Citrus aromas with stone fruit, lemongrass and a light dusting of gravel. That same lemon and lemongrass vibrance is found on the palate which is both bright, taut and tangy. Lively acidity keeps the nectarine, white peach and zesty citrus flavours front and centre, but with a flinty, petrichor edge. Compact and firm, the texture and mouthfeel display a delightful tension that adds to the structure of this young wine. Lovely tension of opposites in its youth but it will evolve, becoming richer and fuller with age and careful cellaring.
variety : Semillon [ 95% Semillon, 5% Sauvignon Blanc ]
winemaker : Mark van Buuren
wine of origin : Western Cape
analysis : alc : 13.5 % vol rs : 1.8 g/l pH : 3.22 ta : 6.2 g/l so2 : 128 mg/l fso2 : 45 mg/l
type : White style : Dry body : Full taste : Mineral wooded
pack : Bottle size : 0 closure : Cork
in the vineyard : The Laing family’s farm, Trekpoort, is situated on the Skurfberg Mountains near Clanwilliam. Schalk-Willem Laing has a deep understanding of this land, the vines, the weather, the animals and fynbos, having walked these soils for many years with his father. The metre-tall bush vines planted in 1956 have survived 69 years of heat, and despite the scarcity of water, still generate grapes that produce intense, weighty wines with character in spades. The vines are planted in red sand on clay between wheat fields, apricot trees, rooibos tea bushes and fynbos. Its proximity to the ocean, the hot days, cool nights and the age of the bush vines all contribute to producing the beautiful fruit and in turn, this very special wine.
in the cellar : The grapes were transported approximately 260kms to the cellar in refrigerated trucks and cooled overnight. Bunches were hand-sorted and whole-bunch pressed the following day, and the juice allowed to settle overnight without the use of enzymes. The cloudy juice was racked into a combination of stainless steel (61%), concrete egg (22%) and 3rd fill 500L French oak barrel (17%) where spontaneous fermentation occurred. The 500L barrel underwent malolactic fermentation spontaneously. The wine spent 8 months on the lees before being blended and bottled.