in the vineyard : The wine is made from several trellised vineyard blocks on the Stellenbosch farm, both irrigated and dryland, some dating back to 1984. More recent plantings were established in 1997. Located between 150m and 200m above sea level, the south-east facing vineyards are grown in gravel soils with some clay present.
about the harvest: A cooler ripening season than the preceding three years proved very favourable for Sauvignon Blanc as slower flavour development resulted in crisp, healthy berries that were physiologically ripe with excellent fruit sugar/acid ratios. The grapes were generally smaller than average, making for a bigger skin to juice ratio. The grapes were hand-harvested early in the morning in early February at between 23ºand 24ºBalling. Picked before the February heat wave, they came in with rich and full flavours, supported by excellent body.
in the cellar : Each vineyard block was individually vinified, spending just four hours on the skins before fermentation over three weeks in stainless tanks at between 13º and 15ºC. The wine was left on the lees for a month for maximum flavour extraction. It was bottled in June.