Koetshuis Sauvignon Blanc

This wine calls for food with a weightier palate such as Chicken Saltimbocca, pork schnitzel with a cream sauce or simple gnocchi with burnt sage butter.

The season presented a cold winter and a cold spring with good rainfall and a very moderate growing period during summer. This resulted in a later-than-usual harvest and grapes were harvested 14 days later compared to 2020. A special vineyard selection is made from high-quality vineyards in Lutzville and Darling, plus a small batch of Semillon from De Grendel Vineyards, in which meticulous vineyard management ensures superior fruit concentration and bolder flavours. Grapes were picked separately, depending on phenolic ripeness and flavour components. The vineyards are mostly nourished by weathered shale soils and yield 6 to 7 tons per hectare.

With Lutzville and Darling batches being vinified individually for blending at a later stage, the handpicked grapes were crushed and allowed extended skin contact for approximately 6 hours before the juice was racked and settled for inoculation and fermentation in stainless steel tanks. Approximately 18% of the juice was inoculated and fermented in a combination of new and 2nd fill French Oak barrels, where it was kept on the fine lees for 100 days. The 2% Semillon component was also fermented in oak. Finally, the portions were blended for flavour, depth, and complexity before being protein stabilised, cold stabilised and bottled.

De Grendel is a Durbanville wine estate where cool-climate vineyards and careful site selection shape a broad range of South African wines. Known for Sauvignon Blanc, Shiraz and red blends, the estate combines coastal influence, varietal clarity and a strong sense of Cape Town wine country.