| Winemaker |
Jacques Borman |
| Winemakers Approach |
This wine is a blend of 91% Shiraz and 9% Viognier. The Shiraz component is from Bot River in the Walker Bay Region (50%), Darling (20%), Franschhoek (16%) and Elim (5%) while the Viognier originates from Wellington. |
| The Vintage |
The period preceding the 2007 season was virtually perfect for wine-making purposes - a cold winter, cool spring-time, welcome early summer rains and a dry January. Few problems were encountered and only routine leaf management and other practices were required until the end of January, when the Boland was hit by an extended heat wave. This condition deprived early varietals such as Viognier of their valuable hanging time and forced wine-makers into earlier harvesting. Temperatures became mild again and allowed the Shiraz varietal gradual ripening. Flavours and analyses were good, with good acid and pH levels. Grapes were also exceptionally healthy. |
| The Vineyard |
The vineywards all have unique macro climates and grow in a large variety of soil types. Different clones are represented. All the vineyards are trellised according to the Perold system and managed to be perfectly balanced in leaf cover and yield. Thanks to the different terroirs, each area produces grapes with specific characteristics, allowing the grapes from each area to make a unique contribution in flavour and structure. As a result of intensive harvest control after the uneven budding, yield was less than six tons per hectare. |
| The Winemaking |
The Viognier, that ripens before the Shiraz, was harvested on 7 February and stored in refrigerated surroundings. The Shiraz followed a week later. Both varietals were hand-sorted and were placed in the tank together. The wine was pumped over regularly and fermented at 25 degrees Celsius. After fermentation, extended skin contact was allowed for approximately two weeks. Malolactic fermentation and maturation were in 225-litre French oak barrels, 60% of which were new. The wine matured for 15 months before bottling in September 2008. |
| Analysis |
|
| Alcohol |
13.67% |
| Residual Sugar |
2.6 g/l |
| Acidity |
5.4 g/l |
| pH |
3.76 |
