Viognier

Alcohol: 13.50 vol% Sugar: 1.9 g/l TA: 6.1 g/l PH: 3.55

This wine exhibits a beautiful golden hue, testament to its barrel fermentation and maturation.

The 7th crop off 10 year old vines in two north easterly facing vineyards. After pressing, the juice settled overnight in a stainless steel tank, after which only the premium clear juice was racked off to 2nd & 3rd fill French oak barrels. The rest fermented in barrel, of which 2/3rds underwent spontaneous fermentation & the other 3rd was inoculated with a cultured yeast strain. During the wine's maturation in barrel, it received one racking & monthly battonage; it was bottled after 7 months in barrel. In February 2011 the wines were removed form barrel and blended together with the tank portion after whch they went through light filtration just before bottling.

The nose shows primary Viognier aromas of ripe peach, apricot and later jasmine flower (consistent with the 2011 vintage and intrinsic to its origin on the cooler, Constantia mountain slopes.) A fresh, rich mouth filling palate infused with white stone pip flavour and telltale Viognier spices are the order of the day. Positive acidity (suggest longevity) coupled with subtle wooding ensure a crisper velvety smooth finish and lingering after taste.