This is a 100% Sauvignon Blanc wine, made from the third production of grapes from one vineyard in the Walker Bay area close to the town Bot River. The slope faces south-west and is situated approximately ten kilometres from the Indian Ocean.

The period that preceded the 2006 vintage was fairly normal compared to long-term conditions. The winter was wet and cold enough to ensure dormancy, but a warm spell in August resulted in uneven budding in some varietals, including Sauvignon Blanc. Very windy conditions in December resulted in high water usage and the stress caused smaller berries, benefi cial for fl avour development.

Plant material is from the clone SB11 and was grafted on Richter 99 rootstock. The block was planted in 2001, with a plant width of 2,7 x 1,2. The vineyard is trellised and irrigated. The farm as well as this block are organically managed and, with the soil being of medium potential, the vines were not yet fully trellised and mature at harvest time. Production was, therefore, still low at 4 tons per hectare. Some bunches were exposed to direct sunlight, while some were shaded by the canopy.

Grapes were picked at between 22 to 24 degrees Balling and transported to the La Motte cellar in a refrigerated truck. After de-stalking, the grapes were cold-soaked for sixteen hours. Fermentation of 30 days in stainless steel tanks was at 11 degrees Celsius. The wine was left on the lees for six months, before bottling at La Motte on 12 October 2006. Only 5 000 litres were bottled.

The wine has a pale straw colour with a light green tint. It shows a rich complexity of tropical fruit flavours such as passion fruit, melon, apple and litchi. There are also scents of “fynbos”, the natural vegetation on the farm. On the palate there are lime and gooseberry flavours, backed by a firm structure with refreshing acidity. The finish is persistent, with a touch of mineral.

Alcohol 13,46% vol
Residual sugar 1,8 g/l
Total acid 6,82 g/l
pH 3,41