Premium White 2024

This wine is a blend of two components. Both were fermented in barrel with 40% being indigenous yeast strain to enhance the texture and mouth-feel of the wine. The remainder of 60% was inoculated with a specially selected commercial yeast strain to ensure optimal cultivar-derived fruit flavours. The wine was left on extended lees contact for 270 days after fermentation and stirred regularly during this period.

The 2020 vintage was characterized by generally favourable conditions, improved winter rainfall preceding the growing season and generally mild conditions. This resulted in improved crops in particular in the coastal areas or Swartland, Wellington, Paarl and Stellenbosch. The vintage period was lower in disease pressure than the 2019 vintage but some rainfall during vintage did require careful management. The spring period was unusually warm prompting early bud break and accelerated early growth while, the summer through vintage was mild in terms of temperature with fewer peaks or periods of high temperature. This resulted in an early vintage start and a compressed February finishing earlier than in recent years. Wines show great retention of freshness and flavour with good tannin development and aging potential. We are hugely excited about the quality of the 2020 Vintage.

The complete wine volume was matured for nine months, in 500L first, second and third-fill barrels.

Each individual batch from the different sites was barrel fermented in water-bent® French oak. Split 25% between 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th fill and matured, all the components were kept on their fine lees for the duration. The barrels are made from oak treated in the water-bending® method which prepares the oak for toasting in a way that results in a softer mouthfeel.

Harvested from 15 diverse sites, the hand picked grapes were kept separate throughout the vinification process. With an average age between 10 and 12 years old, the vines are trellised using the Extended Perold system. Batch harvesting allows for different building blocks and complexity in the wine. The soil structure across the various blocks is comprised mostly of Soft Cartref and Gray and Yellow Kroonstad.

Grapes are hand-harvested in the early morning at 23.5 °B. A portion of the grapes is whole-bunch pressed; the rest goes through the destemmer and is crushed for skin contact. After one day of settling, the juice is transferred into 400l French oak barrels where natural fermentation takes place over the next 40 to 60 days at 13°C.

Once fermentation is completed, the wine is matured in the barrels for up to 10 months with a monthly bâtonnage of the lees. No malolactic fermentation takes place. 15% 1st fill, 13% 2nd fill, 12% 3rd fill and 60% in older barrels with a medium toast.