Tasting Notes
The 45 year old Semillon vines have provided exceptional qualities to this wine. The colour is bright gold whilst the aroma is of lemon and honey. But it is in the palate the wine's excellence shows out! The mouthfeel is soft, yet filled with rich, complex varietal flavours and the long, nutty, satisfying finish displays the minimal oak influence from discreet barrel fermentation to perfection. It has tons of flavour and while very pleasant when young it will certainly improve with careful cellaring, reaching its peak of flavour and complexity some three to five years from vintage. It may be enjoyed with sushi and sashimi - we found it quite delightful with whole grilled flounder.
Vineyard Notes
The fruit is sourced from the Bethanien vineyard and the Manse located in the hamlet of Bethany. Both vineyards are traditionally hand rod & spur pruned to 70 buds per vine to regulate and promote balanced growth. Vines are grown in red brown earth with a limestone subsoil.
Winemaking Report
The juice is cold settled before going through controlled fermentation in stainless steel using a selected yeast. The juice remains on lees contact (sur lie) for 3 to 4 months and stirred once a week during this time (bâtonnage). These techniques result in a creamy more structured mouth feel and enhance flavour complexity derived from the yeast autolysis. The wine is transferred to French oak hogsheads to mature and gain complexity for 3 to 4 months or until it has enough palate ’weight’. The wine is bottled early to retain fresh fruit characters.
