Durbanville Hills Collectors Reserve The Cape Garden Chenin blanc 2021

COLOUR Pale straw with green edges. NOSE Peaches, apricot, orange peel and a hint of almonds and vanilla. TASTE Full bodied with upfront flavours of peaches and apricots, which balance well with zesty citrus flavours and a long lingering finish.

The grapes were selected from a vineyard on the open Easterly side of the valley where the cool sea breeze from Table Bay meets the dry warmer inland air. The block is North-East facing, resulting in the vines being exposed to sunlight from early in the morning which ensures early and even ripening in the start of the season. The soils are sandy loam, allowing for good draining of excess surface water with good water retention lower down. Due to Chenin Blanc being prone to the Botrytis cinerea fungus, the early ripening spot with well-drained soil was preferred.

Hand-picked grapes from one selected vineyard in the Durbanville Wine Valley were handled with minimum intervention. The juice was cold settled with lees stirring for three days, before being divided into three portions for fermentation. Of these portions, 18% was cold fermented in a stainless steel tank, racked after fermentation and left on its lees for 10 months; while 77% was fermented and matured for 10 months in a combination of new, 2nd, 3rd and 4th fill French oak 300 litre barrels with regular lees stirring. 5% of the fine fresh lees was naturally fermented in old 4th fill barrels, before the wine was racked into a stainless steel tank and left to settle. After settling the wine was returned to the barrels to mature for another 10 months with regular stirring. Before the final blend was made, all the different components were tasted and only the best selected for this unique wine. The wine was lightly fined and bottled without any filtration.

hile 77% was fermented and matured for 10 months in a combination of new, 2nd, 3rd and 4th fill French oak 300 litre barrels with regular lees stirring. 5% of the fine fresh lees was naturally fermented in old 4th fill barrels, before the wine was racked into a stainless steel tank and left to settle