Semillon

For a get together with family, evoking memories of grannies’ fresh-out-the-oven apple crumble pie with hand whipped cream.

After a short, cold winter and an early, warm spring the 2020 harvest arrived three weeks earlier than normal. The annual south westerly winds during November and December played a crucial role in managing our yields, keeping the bunches healthy and promoting concentration of flavours. The Semillon grapes were left on the vine as long as possible to achieve full ripeness that gives the wine the distinctive flavour. As with Sauvignon blanc, a reductive approach is taken, using dry ice to limit the juice and wine’s exposure to oxygen ensuring the retention of the volatile flavour compounds.

After fermentation the wine was left on the lees for six months with regular battonage that resulted in a full and rich wine.

After settling, 70% of the juice was fermented in 80% new French oak barrels. The wine was fermented cold in order to achieve the longest possible fermentation and loss of flavours.

Although not intentionally award driven, there is no denying the status of this tiny family-owned Durbanville cellar. Strategically we are following a very traditional but personalised approach to making wine. In line with our brand honesty, we don’t try to be clever or practice contrived marketing jargon. We pick by hand, allowing us to leave the less perfect bunches for the soil to enrich itself – and before pressing, we again sort the individual grapes by hand. “We completely believe that beautiful wines come from day to day thoughtful management in the vineyards.” Our bottom line is that to be part of the Nitida family requires commitment, passion, and a desire to be involved. Our punch through system, while automated, was designed by the engineer in Bernhard to closely emulate a traditional hand-punch method. Of course, we do use modern technology for pressing and pumping, but always seek out the gentlest methods.