: « An appealing pale yellow colour. The nose is a little closed at first, evolving... » See more...
: « An appealing pale yellow colour. The nose is a little closed at first, evolving in the glass to show a honeyed botrytis character with baked apple, wet stones, damp hay and a hint of spicy oak. Needs a little air to bring out the inherent richness on the palate. Nicely structured with a balance between the botrytis richness and the racy minerality. A long clean finish. PRODUCTION: Grapes lightly crushed and allowed 3 hours skin contact (a long breakfast!) before gently pressing in a traditional basket press. Sulphur added and natural settling allowed for 2 days before 100 % barrel fermentation with natural yeasts. All the wine was kept in 225 l and a few 700 l casks for 7 to 8 months with lees stirred 1 - 2 times a month initially. Lightly fined with bentonite – a natural clay. 20% new oak used – 80% French, 20% American. No malolactic fermentation. Bottled unfiltered on the property by hand. VINTAGE CONDITIONS: Typical cold, wet winter followed by a normal growing season with enough rain and warm weather to produce good, balanced growth. As in 2007, the Chenin Blanc seemed to relish the knife - edge harvest conditions with small heatwaves alternating with wet, cold spells. Unlike 2007, we had quite a bit of botrytis, especially in the later Keerweder blocks. The grapes were picked in the cool mornings @ 21.7 – 24.5º Balling. »