Viognier

Viognier berries begin to shrivel towards ripeness, a unique variety characteristic that necessitates careful sampling and tasting before harvest to ensure balance and complexity of flavour is achieved in the wine. Handpicked bunches are destalked and crushed, with the juice settling before inoculation. The majority of the juice is fermented in stainless steel tanks in order to maintain its fresh fruity characteristics, while the remaining 30% is fermented and then aged for 90 days in Romanian oak barrels for a creamier, complementary complexity before blending back into the tank portion. This is followed by protein stabilisation, cold stabilisation and bottling.

High up on the western slope of the Tygerberg, roughly 200 metres above sea level, 7 kilometres from and in sight of the Atlantic Ocean, the Viognier vines are nourished by well-drained blue, broken shale soil with areas of gravel and sub-layers of clay. Utilising the VSP trellis system, a typical harvest produces 7-8 tons per hectare.