The wine is a blend of 92% Sauvignon Blanc and 8% Semillon. The Sauvignon Blanc originates from vineyards in Elgin, Bot River, Elim and Napier. The Semillon comes from Elim. These vineyards fall under the new origin of Cape South Coast and are some of the most southerly vineyards in Africa.
The preceding winter started late but was cold enough for sufficient dormancy. For the second successive year the rainfall was below average, resulting in irrigation dams being only half full. Conditions were favourable for budding, blooming and berry setting - all promising a substantial harvest - but a long, dry season followed that could result in a smaller harvest. Cool, dry nights during the ripening period are conducive to quality, and ensure a healthy harvest and concentration. Heatwaves posed no serious problem. These factors all contributed to healthy grapes with a good concentration, analysis and flavour.
Each vineyard grows in its own macroclimate and different clones are represented. All the vineyards are trellised and managed to maintain a perfect balance between leaf coverage and yield. Most of the soils are of shale origin and the potential is medium. Cooler conditions maintain low fertility, with a yield of approximately 6 tons/ha. Elgin boasts deeper, high-potential soil with a yield of approximately 8 tons/ha.
The grapes were harvested at between 20 and 22 degrees Balling. The wine was left on the lees for approximately 16 hours and fermentation was at approximately 14 °C. The wine was removed from the heavy lees and left on the fine lees for a 5-months period after which the blending process started. The wine was bottled in August 2017 and 8 000 cartons (6 x 750 ml) will be released.
Vineyards in the cool, emerging wine-producing areas close to the southern tip of Africa are combined to produce Wines of Origin Cape South Coast. The wine is thiol-driven, with specifically citrus flavours, as well as greenpepper and gooseberry flavours lingering in the background. The palate is exceptionally elegant, with a mineral finish. This wine will be at its optimum best in 2018.
Alcohol 12,68% vol
Residual sugar 1,8 g/l
Total acid 7,0 g/l
pH 3,29
