Residual Sugar: 1.60 g/L
Total Acidity: 6.61 g/L (Tartaric)
pH: 3.26
Grape Variety: Sauvignon blanc (around 90%), Sémillon (around 10%)
The Winemasters ensemble, comprising a top-quality range of varietal offerings, is named to honor the Paarl winery’s long-established tradition of winemaking excellence. These classically styled, food-friendly wines with abundant fruit flavours, elegance and finesse, treasure the integrity of the grapes in every step of the winegrowing and winemaking journey. Every drop demonstrates an unwavering commitment to world-class vineyard and cellar skills. This wine is made from Sauvignon blanc (90%) and Sémillon (10%) grapes.
Vineyards
The grapes were sourced from top-performing vineyards situated in the Darling, Stellenbosch, Ceres, Philadelphia and Simondium districts, all cool climate winegrowing areas with the benefit of slower ripening of the grapes to achieve greater flavour intensity. The vines are grown in granite and sandstone soils, resulting in grapes with a zestier and higher natural acidity, which adds to the freshness and longevity of the wine. Open vineyard canopies bring about greater sunlight penetration of the grape bunches, contributing to more balanced acidity, in turn making the wine deliciously palatable.
Winemaking
The grapes were hand-harvested, early in the morning in February and March, at 22º to 24º Balling, once it had reached an optimal tropical spectrum of flavour, allowing more thiols and precursor development for greater natural acidity and freshness. On arrival at the cellar, the fruit was crushed and cold-fermented in temperature-controlled stainlesssteel tanks at 15º C for a period of two to three weeks. The wine was left on the gross lees for three months. The extended lees contact results in greater mouth-feel and palate weight. Juice and wine movements were kept reductive with minimal mechanical handling to retain the distinctive Sauvignon blanc flavour and quality. The wine was left on the fine lees after blending, for greater freshness and longevity. Varietal specific yeast was used to aptly reflect the expressiveness of the cultivar and prolong its flavour. Only plant proteins were used during setting and fining, making this wine suitable for vegans and vegetarians.
Winemaker
Pieter Badenhorst and Jamie Williams
