Wild Child

A swanky showstopper with chicken fricassee.

Durbanville Sauvignon blanc is characterised by complex thiol (granadilla, guava flavours) and pyrazine (grassy, herbaceous, vegetative flavours) flavour compounds. Durbanville is also considered to be home to some of South Africa’s best Sauvignon blanc sites due to the high clay content of our soils. The strong south westerly winds during November serve to naturally thin our crops ensuring greater flavour concentration and fruit expression. Intermitted rainfall helps limit water stress and ensure optimal ripening. The grapes for Wild Child all come from different sights at Nitida that were picked at different ripeness levels to best express the terroir that is Nitida Sauvignon blanc

Grapes were handpicked early in the morning to retain the crisp fruit flavours. They go straight into the press and only the free run juice is used. The different components are cold fermented (12 – 14˚ C) in French oak barrels and stainlesssteel tanks and then left on the lees for four months to enhance the typical varietal characters. The final wine consists of 63% barrel fermented (19% 1st fill barrels) and 37% tank fermented Sauvignon blanc.

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.