The 2013 is yet another emphatic Ernie Els offering, immediately bursting with fig, nettles and a melange of tropical fruit. A twist of passion fruit on the nose leads through to a rich palate and elegant core. Mineral, almost slate-like notes, add depth of complexity to this fruit-driven and yet sophisticated style. The mid-palate shows fine texture and finishes with a zing of green pepper and touch of melon. Already drinking well, this will be best over the next 2 years.
variety : Sauvignon Blanc [ 100% Sauvignon Blanc ]
winemaker : Louis Strydom
wine of origin : Western Cape
analysis : alc : 13.45 % vol rs : 2.9 g/l pH : 3.34 ta : 6.2 g/l
type : White style : Dry
pack : Bottle size : 0 closure : Cork
in the vineyard : The 2013 harvest season started a week later than usual. Prolonged winter conditions continued in some areas up until September, followed by a cool spring, which delayed bud burst by 7 to 14 days. The cold, wet weather conditions ensured even bud burst as well as the accumulation of water supplies that would allow the vineyards to cope with the warmer conditions later in the season. The vineyards had good growth in ideal dry weather conditions during the flowering and berry-set periods – although this also occurred later than usual. Early cultivars ripened later but an extremely dry and warm December resulted in the late cultivars being ripened as normal. Ideal weather conditions during the harvest season prevailed with moderate day-time temperatures, cool evenings and no prolonged spells of rain or heat waves; this all impacted positively on grape quality and establishing good colour and flavour. It was also a particularly healthy year and diseases, pests and rot only occurred later in the season, while the warm and dry weather conditions together with effective disease and pest control resulted in minimal losses.
The grapes were harvested from individually selected, low yielding vines from three different appellations: Durbanville, Lamberts Bay and Lutzville. Each viticulture area gives its own unique flavor profile to the final blend. Wine was mainly sourced from cooler coastal regions.
in the cellar : Grape bunches were gently de-stemming with a Bucher de-stalker and lightly crushed. The wine was settled overnight and the sediment racked-off the following day. Fermentation took place at low temperatures (12-14°C) in stainless steel tanks with a combination of yeasts, over a two week period. Working very reductively in the cellar after both crushing and de-stemming, post fermentation lees contact was maintained for 4 months with weekly stirring of the lees before racking and stabilization prior to bottling. This wine is made in a fresh and fruity style without any wood component.