Vineyard Groot Constantia
Vintage 2020
Country South Africa
Region Constantia, Western Cape
Type Still White
Varietals 93% Sauvignon Blanc, 7% Semillion
Alcohol 13.45%
Winemaking The soil types vary from deep red clay soil to red-brown loamy soil, both from granitic origin. Vineyards are trained on vertical shoot position trellis systems. Vineyard actions like pruning, canopy management and harvesting are done by hand. Pest control is done biologically, and soil health and weed control are managed by a selected mix of winter cover crop. Grapes are hand picked early in the morning to retain freshness and fruit flavours. They are crushed and destemmed into the press giving the juice some skin contact before being separated. Only the free run juice is used. The juice is settled and cold fermented (12 – 140C) in stainless steel tanks to enhance the varietal characters. After fermentation, the wine is left on the lees for six months before being racked, fined and stabilized in preparation for bottling.
Climate Mediterranean climate with cool breezes from the Atlantic Ocean, with an average maximum temperature in summer of 26˚C, and an average night-time low in winter of 8˚C. The long-term average rainfall is 1100mm per year.
Description
The wine shows great complexity on the nose, dominated by ripe fruit like white peach, passion fruit and guava with a distinct grassy, herbal undertone and a hint of lemon. The palate has intensity and length, balanced by fresh natural acidity.