Franschhoek Semillon

Rich fish (salmon, tuna etc), Shellfish, Sweet desserts, Poultry

Planted on alluvial soils of decomposed Table Mountain sandstone, a portion – roughly 15 percent – of the bush vines have naturally mutated into Sémillon Gris. The vineyards were harvested by hand on 4 February 2020. The fruit was picked at 21.9-23 ̊B before being chilled overnight at 8 ̊C.

Approximately one-third of the way through fermentation, the grape must was transferred to second- and third-fill French oak barriques, followed by 11 months of sur lie barrel maturation. There was no batonnage, and malolactic conversion was prevented in order to ensure that the wine retained its excellent natural acidity.

In the cellar, whole clusters were sorted and pressed with a delicate champagne-cycle. No enzymes were added during pressing, and minimal sulphur was used throughout vinification. Settling occurred overnight, and spontaneous fermentation took place in tanks using naturally occurring yeasts.

DAMASCENE is a partnership between Jean Smit and David Curl, former owner of Château Gaby in Canon-Fronsac, Bordeaux. What began as a conversation around making wine from the Pinot Noir planted on Curl’s Elgin estate swiftly revealed the pair’s shared passion for celebrating unsung pockets of South African terroir. Following the maxim of ‘Less cult, more cultivation’, the founding philosophy of DAMASCENE is simple, yet unyielding: that the journey to great wine can only begin in the vineyard. “DAMASCENE is about seeking out memorable vineyards and sites that truly showcase the incredible diversity of terroir we have here in the Western Cape,” says Smit. “I spend countless days on the road, covering thousands of kilometres, visiting vineyards and farmers in search of special parcels of land.”