Grand Mere Semillon

Grapes were harvested by hand in two batches to achieve a perfect balance in ripeness. Grapes are whole-bunch pressed and allowed to settle before being racked to the barrels for natural fermentation. After fermentation the wine underwent barrel maturation in mostly older French oak barrels as to add depth and staying power without detracting from the natural fruit character.

The grapes used to make this wine were sourced from a very special, very old bushvine vineyard planted in 1936. It is a high density planting of around 7 000 vines per hectare, more than double the amount of vines per hectare compared to the average vineyard in SA. It is a south-east facing vineyard, unirrigated and located at an altitude of 350 m above sea level. The vines were able to find a perfect balance between growth and yields over the decades resulting in an excellent textured wine. The yields per vine are very low, making for excellent concentration of fruit.

Maturation on the primary lees with regular stirring or batonnage ensured further complexity and verve. Clay Amphora pots were used in the fermentation and ageing for 15% of the wine.