This wine was produced from grapes originating from vineyards in various regions in the Cape winelands Swartland(30%), Walker Bay (20%), Franschhoek (20%), Elim (15%), Paarl (10%) and Stellenbosch (5%).
A number of conditions caused lower yields – a long winter that affected flowering, very little rain during December and January, which resulted in smaller bunches, a short heat wave early in December, causing damage to some unprotected bunches, and windy conditions that could have robbed vines from moisture. Temperatures lower than average delayed harvest-time by as much as two weeks. On the positive side, low temperatures and mild weather conditions allowed for good flavour protection and slow ripening – ripening was at lower sugar levels, contributing towards the production of elegant,accessible wines.
Vineyards grow in their own unique macro climates and in a large variety of soils. Different clones are represented.All vineyards are trellised according to a wire system and managed to maintain a perfect balance between leaf coverage and yield. Each terroir makes a unique contribution to the wine and each has a different harvest date. The grapes for this wine were harvested over a period of one month.
The grapes were picked when ripe, but still firm. Bunches were de-stemmed and hand-sorted. Whole berries were pumped into an open stainless steel tank, inoculated and cool-fermented at 20 to 24 degrees Celsius. During pumping over, high aeration was allowed. Malolactic fermentation started in the tank and finished in 300-litre French oak barrels, 30% of which were new. The wine was matured for 14 months, then blended, filtered and bottled. The blend includes Grenache (3%), Cinsaut (2,5%)and Carignan (1%). 33 000 cartons (6 x750ml) were released as 2009 La Motte Shiraz.
The wine shows an intense spicy nose with aniseed, clove and black pepper surrounded by black cherry and blueberry fruit. Some liquorice and toffee notes are present. The palate is full-bodied, chewy and juicy, with integrated wood tannin that creates a pleasant clean, dry finish.
Alcohol 13,75% vol
Residual sugar 2,5 g/l
Total acid 5,7 g/l
pH 3,55
