variety : Shiraz [ 88% Shiraz, 12% Viognier ]
winemaker : Edmund Terblanche
wine of origin : Western Cape
analysis : alc : 13.7 % vol rs : 2.7 g/l pH : 3.6 ta : 6.2 g/l
type : Red style : Dry wooded
pack : Bottle closure : Cork
in the vineyard : Origin
This wine is a blend of 88% Shiraz and 12% Viognier. The Shiraz component is from Bot River in the Walker Bay region (35%), Elim (35%) and Franschhoek (18%), while the Viognier originates from Franschhoek.
Vintage
Veterans in the wine industry described 2010 as one of the most difficult in their career. Winter conditions were not ideal for good budding. Cold and rain hampered budding further and, together with wind, bunch denseness was severely impeded. Wind caused physical damage, late rains caused fungus diseases, late dry conditions reduced the already light yield even further and a heat wave in March had a slightly negative effect on flavours.
Viticulture
The Elim vineyards grow in duplex soils with a high content of ferrocrete (coffee stone), the Walker Bay vineyards grow in shallow shale, and the Franschhoek vineyards in deep-structure, less sandy decomposed granite. The Walker Bay and Franschhoek vineyards are managed organically. This practice, together with the cool conditions in the Elim area, result in a naturally low yield of about 5 tons/ha. The Franschhoek Viognier was chosen because of its late ripening and was picked together with the Shiraz, for the grapes to be fermented together.
in the cellar : The grapes were hand-sorted and then fermented without stems. Regular pump-overs were performed during fermentation at approximately 25 degrees Celsius. After about 25 days’ maceration, the free-run and press wine were placed together in 300-litre barrels for 14 months’ maturation - 70% of the barrels were new. Subsequently, blending took place and the wine was returned to the barrels for another 4 months, before bottling took place in December 2011.
5 000 cartons (6 x 750 ml) were released as 2010 La Motte Shiraz * Viognier.