Flagstone Heywood House Barrel Fermented Sauvignon Blanc 2002

Veritas 2003 - Silver
Clear with a suggestion of yellow-green. Typical Sauvignon Blanc grassiness combines with asparagus and grapefruit to suggest a reductive winemaking style. The taste reveals something else. A fruity broad entry shows the influence of the barrel-fermented, lees-stirred portion. The aristocratic yet surprisingly sexy mouth-feel fades slowly to a clean dry finish.

This will compliment pan fried yellow tail in a butter and thyme-infused sauce.

variety : Sauvignon Blanc [ 100% Sauvignon Blanc ]
winery : Flagstone Wines
winemaker : Bruce Jack
wine of origin : Coastal
analysis : alc : 14.0 % vol  rs : 2.5 g/l  pH : 3.43  ta : 5.4 g/l  
type : White   wooded
pack : Bottle  closure : Cork  

AWARDS
Veritas 2003 - Silver
about the harvest: This style is unique to South Africa because of the 'Weerstasie' or 'Weather Station' Sauvignon Blanc selection (a South African selection) we use and our special growing conditions. Our Heywood House will always come from a single vineyard in the Bottelary Hills, between Stellenbosch and the Atlantic Ocean. The ancient decomposed granite soils, well-drained slope and Westerly aspect combine to ripen explosively fruity Sauvignon Blanc.

in the cellar : You may well ask why we ferment Sauvignon Blanc in oak barrels. Let's face it: Sauvignon Blanc is challenging enough without marrying spicy oak with this grape's floral fruit. I once tasted a brilliant Cape example. It was a Delaire 1989, made by Mike Dobrivic. Like magic potion it transformed me into a fearless winemaking warrior.

The hand-picked grapes are fermented wild (utilising natural yeast present on the bunches) in small oak barrels where the wine develops for 10 months before bottling.

"Heywood House" was the home of my grandmother, Elsie Fraser Munn, an African legend (1906 - 1999). During a fascinating life of adventure and accomplishment she taught music to thousands from Ghana to Grahamstown. She also loved barrel-fermented Sauvignon Blanc.

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