Nose
A soft elegant wine on the nose, with sophisticated complexity. As with a good Vouvray, the primary aromas offer nashi pear skins, quince and a touch of lemon curd. A wonderful
floral note of white lilies adds a layer of freshness to the already fresh citrus notes.
Palate
This wine is a great interpretation of a dry Vouvray. It’s all about texture, mouth
feel and trying to separate the many layers of flavour resulting from a small portion of skin contact. Pear and quince are the primary flavours on the palate, supported by nuttiness and spice. The savoury oak sits elegantly in the background. This wine is all about purity and the chalky texture is a true expression of its beauty.
Growing Conditions
The 2019 climate allowed for perfect ripening conditions. Selected rows and individual bunches of Chenin Blanc were hand harvested from the Western end of the vineyard. These bunches tended to be on the outer part of the vines where the fruit had a little more sun exposure. As with all our fruit, the vines are grown with strict organic principles, we do not use toxic chemicals on the estate and we maintain healthy soils using microbiological strategies. The purity in the fruit is expressed in the quality and flavour of the final product. The fruit is placed into a cool room to rest and stabilise over night.
Winemaking
The following morning, a select number of “special” bunches are removed and returned to cool storage. These bunches will eventually be returned to the fermenting wine in the barrel. The balance of the fruit is pressed straight into a mixture of new French Oak Puncheons, and 1-2 year old French Barriques. The fruit put aside were placed into the oak for extra skin contact during fermentation and maturation which gives us that very special rich decadent mouth feel, and adds depth and complexity to the wine. The juice is allowed to ferment naturally in barrels and matures on lees and skins for 10 months before assemblage and preparation for bottling. No fining agents and minimal filtration is exercised.
Aging
10 months in oak.
Appearance
Bright clarity, light straw with a subtle green tinge.
