False Bay Chenin Blanc 2011

A fine, balanced Chenin blanc with great freshness. The bright acidity helps to carry the generous mouth feel. Due to the natural ferment the wine has great complexity and great length.

A versatile wine equally well suited to partner dishes like seafood, risotto or roast chicken.

variety : Chenin Blanc [ 100% Chenin Blanc ]
winery : Waterkloof
winemaker : Werner Engelbrecht
wine of origin : Western Cape
analysis : alc : 12.5 % vol  rs : 6.3 g/l  pH : 3.43  ta : 5.12 g/l  
type : White  style : Dry  body : Medium   wooded
pack : Bottle  size : 0  closure : Screwcap  

AWARDS
in the vineyard :  Vineyards
Chenin blanc is regarded as the workhorse of the South African Wine Industry. It produces the bulk of our generic white wines. There is however some gems in between the mass of Chenin blanc vineyards. Our goal is to identify these gems and allow it to express themselves in the False Bay Chenin blanc. We focus on areas that long stood out for producing great Chenin blanc wines, like the Paardeberg and Riebeek areas. Old bushvine vineyards, have over time found their natural balance and ultimately it shows in the wines.

The 2010/11 Growing Season
It was a year characterized by huge climatic differences which resulted in a small crop with lots of concentration. Low winter rains and a very dry summer played a major part in the smaller crop. The start of the growing season was cool with lots of wind which led to uneven flowering. Windy conditions prevailed until mid-February and were particularly strong during December. Harvest started 6 - 10 days earlier than normal due to the dry, windy conditions.

about the harvest:  The harvest period was also very compact due to the dry conditions and small crop. The grapes were picked early in the morning.

in the cellar :  After picking, the grapes were de-stemmed the grapes before separating the juice from the skins. The free run juice was separated from the skins immediately and allowed to settle at 12°C for 24 hours. No enzymes were used to aid the settling and the press juice was discarded. No cultured yeasts were used and fermentation took 20 weeks. The wine was left on the secondary lees for another month before bottling.

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