Colour: Pale green.
Bouquet: Fresh guava with passion fruit, pineapple and hints of grass and nettle flavours on the nose.
Taste: A full-bodied wine with intense flavours of tropical fruit, a crisp acidity and a lingering citrus finish.
A robust wine, it stands up well to a variety of dishes from pastas to fish, poultry, pork and veal.
variety : Sauvignon Blanc [ 100% Sauvignon Blanc ]
winemaker : Martin Moore and Gunther Kellerman
wine of origin : Coastal
analysis : alc : 13.06 % vol rs : 1.6 g/l pH : 3.23 ta : 6.1 g/l
type : White style : Dry body : Full taste : Fruity
pack : Bottle closure : Cork
in the vineyard : Background
Nine leading vineyard owners in the Durbanville district joined forces with Distell to create Durbanville Hills with the aim of promoting the regional individuality of this prime wine-growing area. The striking Durbanville Hills cellar sits on the side of a series of rolling hills with magnificent views of Table Mountain and Table Bay - the very geography that lies at the heart of what makes the wines so unique.
The Durbanville ward is officially considered one of the Cape's two coolest wine regions, thanks to the sea breezes that drift inland from False Bay and Table Bay and the late afternoon mists that bathe the slopes. These conditions are ideal for the slow ripening of the grapes, allowing them to develop their full-flavoured, intense character. Grapes are sourced only from the shareholder- growers, all of whom farm within the limited appellation of Durbanville. Meticulous crop control limits yields and promotes concentration of varietal flavour.
Cellarmaster Martin Moore uses highly advanced cellar technology to ensure optimal extraction of colour and flavour. Sustainable practices include maintaining the disciplines imposed by International Environmental Standard ISO 140001 such as in the treatment of waste water back to irrigation quality. In all its vineyards the growing practices prescribed by IPW (Integrated Production of Wine) are followed. These are designed to sustain natural resources. In addition, the members protect on their farms 210 ha of endangered Renosterveld as part of the Biodiversity Wine Initiative (BWI). The Rhinofields range carries very limited release wines and the name refers to the indigenous Cape fynbos growing close to the Durbanville Hills cellar and which is being conserved.
The Vineyards - vineyard consultant: Drikus Heyns
The grapes were sourced from Klein Roosboom and Morgenster, where the vineyards are all trellised to ensure perfect bunch positioning protecting the fruit from direct sunlight. The soft, radiated heat allowed for the gradual ripening of the fruit resulting in an abundance of flavour. The winter preceding the 2010 vintage was wet and cold and the crucial flavour producing ripening period for Sauvignon Blanc grapes was cool and dry resulting in very healthy grapes with small berries with concentrated flavour. The Sauvignon Blanc varietal character of the grapes, especially from the higher slopes, was very strong, producing wines with an abundance of tropical fruit characters.
in the cellar : After four to ten hours' skin contact in specially designed stainless steel separators, the juice was drained and cold-settled for 48 hours. Slow fermentation at 11° - 14° C was followed by a fairly long period of lees contact with the wine being racked and blended shortly before bottling in July 2009. The three months spent on the fermentation lees will ensure longevity of the wine in addition to contributing to the structure and mouth-feel.