Description :
In recent years Shiraz has been seen by many as embodying the future for South African wine at the highest level. We were looking for vineyards that could produce wines with notable elegance and freshness, allied to a fine texture.
With an average summer temperature of 28°C, the area’s climate is often compared to the Rhône Valley in southern France. The deep soils are high in clay content, which is excellent for water retention. It seems that the remark “the best soils are the worst soils” holds true as these gravelbased vineyards restrict the variety’s natural vigour. The wet, cold winters and warm, dry summers ensure that Shiraz vines have enough water available to ripen the grapes without being too vigorous.
2009/10 GROWING SEASON
vintage was one of the most difficult in years. Strong winds of up to 120 km/h and rain storms at the end of October were some of the climatic factors we had to battle with during spring. The wind created havoc right through the season, blowing off shoots and reducing the yield significantly. Cool weather prevailed through spring into late February 2010 and had a positive influence on the quality of the grapes.
WINEMAKING
Harvest took place at a sugar level of 24 Balling. After destemming, fermentation took place in stainless steel tanks. Fermentation was allowed to start withoutthe addition of cultured yeast. The skins and juice were mixed through a combination of delestage and pump-overs. Towards the end of fermentation the number of pump-overs was reduced to ensure that no harsh, dry tannins were extracted. Fermentation took place at temperatures of 26 – 30ºC at the height of fermentation. The wine was drained from the skins after fermentation was completed. No press juice was added to the wine. Our Shiraz wines are aged in large wooden vats for at least 6 months before bottling.