Cocoa Hill Sauvignon Blanc

Vintage:

2011

Origin:

Western Cape

Varieties:

Sauvignon Blanc

Michelangelo Gold

In a time of seafaring and spice, pirates played in Table Bay…
Among them was Long Ben - as fierce as he was tall,
he looted and pillaged and scavenged from all.
Ben fast became known for being up to no good,
and so fled from the seas and gave up his loot.
He planted some vines, as was the way,
and peered out towards the ocean almost every day.
Long Ben would have gazed longingly at the vista of Table Bay
from where our vines grow today, on Cocoa Hill.

We generally produce our Sauvignon Blanc in a tropical fruit driven style as opposed to the grassy, green pepper style. Flavours of white pear, guava and asparagus dominate the nose with slight nuances of melon playing a supporting role. The palate posesses lovely fresh fruit flavours with zesty persistence.

Tasting Notes:

With our Sauvignon blanc we aim at making a wine that is fresh, youthful and abundant with fruit flavours as opposed to an overly green and acid Sauvignon blanc. Balance between the fruit, alcohol and acidity is of utmost importance. Notes of white pear, litchi and guava dominate the nose with hints of melon and lime. The palate is full and fresh with the white pear yet again dominating along with a great mineral quality and lasting aftertaste.

Vintage Conditions:

The season leading up to the 2011 harvest showed near perfect conditions with moderate temperatures and desirably, very little rain. Initially however we predicted 2011 to be a significantly shorter harvest. It started off slightly later for us and due to some exceptionally hot spells towards the end of February we anticipated that it would end a lot earlier than usual too. January and early February were however ideal for the ripening of the whites allowing long hanging times with excellent flavour.

Fermentation and Ageing:

The 2011 vintage conditions allowed us to hang the Sauvignon blanc a few additional days thereby gaining in complexity. Each batch received a light press to extract only the highest quality juice after-which they were individually fermented at cold temperatures (14°C) in stainless steel tanks for approximately 10 days. Flavour and style specific yeast were selected as to obtain the desired fruit and aroma characteristics. Post fermentation, they remained on the full lees with battonage (lees stirring) performed weekly for a further two months thereby gaining the beneficial characteristics of fullness and texture into the wine.

Food Pairing:

Due to the wines inherent freshness and lightness it partners well with seafood dishes cooked in lighter sauce. Salads are also always a great option for Sauvignon blanc such as lemon and herb or Caesar salads as well as delicate poultry dishes.

Alcohol:

13.5 %

Residual Sugar:

3.7 g/L

Total Acid:

5.6 g/L

Final pH:

3.4

VA:

0.4 g/L

Printable Tasting Notes: