The Grapesmith Die Kluisenaar

Good as a before dinner wine when it’s young, but will pair very well with fresh grilled seafood as well as goat’s cheese. Smoked chicken or fish will make a superb lunch with Die Kluisenaar.

Roussanne grapes are harvested on 10 March 2016 from a vineyard high up on the cool South West facing slopes of Simonsberg and cooled overnight in picking crates. Marsanne grapes are Harvested on 2 February 2016 at 21.4 Balling from a cool site overlooking False Bay, the grapes were cooled down overnight to 5°Celsius.

It spent a total of 12 months on the primary lees with occasional battonage to stir up the lees. No MLF was allowed and after a light filtration the blend was bottled in April 2017.

Roussanne grapes: Whole bunch pressed early the next morning and only the most gentle pressing was done to yield delicate juice with refined flavours. Some barrels were naturally fermented and the balance was inoculated to compare the results. The fermentation is quite warm to allow the yeast to make lots of glycerol. Barrels were between 7 and 12 years old. Marsanne grapes: Whole bunch pressed early the next morning and the settled juice taken directly to barrel for a spontaneous fermentation utilising the yeast strains naturally occurring on the berries. Minimal interference was done to the wine in barrel, apart from stirring of the lees and topping up.

Simonsig Wine Estate is synonymous with the history of the South African wine industry, the Stellenbosch wine region, and the Malan family name. These elements are intertwined in this family-owned farm, where the late Frans Malan produced the first bottle of our much-loved Kaapse Vonkel, South Africaʼs first Méthode Cap Classique made in the classic bottle-fermented style. He is also honoured for co-founding the thriving Stellenbosch Wine Route, a first in its time. Today, his legacy lives on through his sons, Francois and Johan, and grandchildren Francois-Jacques, Christelle and Michael, the 2nd and 3rd Malan generations at Simonsig Wine Estate.