OLD ROAD WINE CO. GRAND MERE SINGLE VINEYARD SEMILLON 2017

Description

The fruit of these old vines born in 1937, show the grace and tenacity exemplified by a family matriarch or grandmother. The wine is elegant and refined, with opulent pear, kumquat and citrus peel flavours, sweet exotic spice and a textured mouth-feel. The flavours evolve and persist from the entry onto the palate, with layers of succulent tropical fruit and candied citrus flavours unfolding. The well-defined fruit is balanced by a mouth watering acidity and a lingering minerality on the finish.

Awards

94 pts Tim Atkin

Certificates

Vinification

Grapes were harvested by hand in two batches to achieve a perfect balance in ripeness. Grapes were left on the skins overnight and allowed to settle before 70% of the juice was inoculated with a specially selected yeast strain and the remainder wild fermented. After fermentation the wine underwent barrel maturation in mostly older French oak barrels as to add depth and staying power without detracting from the natural fruit character. Maturation on the primary lees with regular stirring or batonnage ensured further complexity and verve.

Vineyard: La Colline

The grapes used to make this wine were sourced from a very special 80 year-old bushvine vineyard planted in 1936. It is a high density planting of around 7 000 vines per hectare, more than double the amount of vines per hectare compared to the average vineyard in SA. It is a south-east facing vineyard, unirrigated and located at an altitude of 350 m above sea level.

Soil Type

Weathered shale

Viticulture

The vines were able to find a perfect balance between growth and yields over the decades resulting in an excellent textured wine. The yields per vine are very low, making for excellent concentration of fruit.

Maturation

After fermentation the wine underwent barrel maturation in mostly older French oak barrels as to add depth and staying power without detracting from the natural fruit character. Maturation on the primary lees with regular stirring or batonnage ensured further complexity and verve.