Summary
| Producer | Spice Route Winery |
|---|---|
| Grape Variety | Chenin Blanc |
| Vintage | 2009 |
| Body | Full |
| Style | Dry fruity whites |
| Bottle Size | 0.75 l |
| Colour | Light straw colour. |
| Wine Origin | |
| Origin | Swartland |
| Region | Western Cape |
| Country | South Africa |
Wine Makers Notes
| Winemaker | Charl du Plessis |
|---|---|
| Winemakers Approach | The good winter really helped this older vineyard and resulted in a good, healthy crop. With it being over 30 years old, a yield of 6.8 tons/hectare is actually very high. The oaking is subtle making the wine approachable early on, but it will drink well up to at least 2012. |
| The Vineyard | Predominantly Chenin Blanc from a 34 year old vineyard on the Rheeboksfontein farm in the Swartland. Trellised vines are planted on a south east facing slope and are dryland farmed. The soils are predominantly koffieklip. |
| The Winemaking | Grapes were harvested by hand at 25 degrees balling and the vineyard yield was 6.8 tons per hectare in 2009. The bunches were gently destalked and crushed and the juice was settled for 48 hours before fermentation in French oak barrels. A mere 8% new barrels were used with the balance being 3rd and 6th fill barrels. After alcoholic fermentation, the wine underwent partial malolactic fermentation, with weekly battonage for the 11 months that it spent in oak. |
| Analysis | |
| Alcohol | 14% |
| Residual Sugar | 2.7 g/l |
| Acidity | 6.8 g/l |
| pH | 3.39 |
Wine Makers Notes
| Tasting Notes | |
|---|---|
| Colour | Light straw colour. |
| Bouquet | Ripe pineapple notes lead a complex tropical nose with lightly spiced apple flavours hinting at gentle oaking. |
| Palate | Palate is medium bodied with balanced acidity. Rich apple and pear flavours with hints of orange peel show on the long, creamy finish. |
| Serving and Storage |
