Wine Composition
90% Chenin Blanc, 10% Semillon
Winemakers Comments
Weight and power are not the same thing. Here’s a wine with a moderate palate weight that has both intensity and power. The nose is wonderful: kumquat citrus, sweet oatmeal and honey, maybe elderflower. The palate is fine and bright, reminiscent of salty/sweet candied lemon, great length.
Awards
Tim Atkin | 95 points
Technical Analysis
Alcohol Percentage
13.36%
TA
5.8 g/l
pH
3.36
RS
2 g/l
Cellar Techniques
The grapes are hand sorted and whole bunch pressed. The juice is very lightly settled (we like very cloudy raw juice) with no additions to the raw juice, wild fermentation in either cement eggs, clay pots, foudres, or old barrels (various sizes). Fermentation can last anywhere between 3 weeks and 11 months. The wine is kept on lees for around 12 months, then rested in the tank on fine lees without fining for a further six months prior to bottling. Very simple, careful winemaking.
Winemaker
Name: Chris Alheit
Winery
Chris & Suzaan Alheit are a husband and wife team. They have traveled and worked harvest together in California’s Napa Valley, Western Australia, St Emilion, the Clare Valley & the Mosel River. Their love for adventure overseas has led them to New Zealand, Languedoc, Rousillon, Provence, the Northern & Southern Rhone & the Cyclades in Greece. They have a tremendous amount of respect and admiration for the great wines of Europe, a place they consider to be the heartland of truly fine wine. They strive, in their winemaking, to apply lessons learnt in Europe to what they do in the Cape. Alheit is based on Hemelrand, a beautiful mountain farm situated high on the Hemel & Aarde Ridge in Walker Bay. This rugged piece of fynbos covered land belongs to Hans & Mary Anne Evenhuis. Complete with stone buildings, Hemelrand is planted to an olive grove, lavender fields and a very exciting young vineyard. The Alheit’s aim is to make wines that have a fine form and are not bulky. The result is finely crafted wines that have ample power, but no excess weight – something akin to a gymnast, rather than a sumo wrestle. The Alheit’s are absolute minimalist in their winemaking approach. Grapes are whole bunch pressed. No enzymes, sulphur or yeast are used. The grapes undergo natural fermentation in old barrels with absolutely no new oak used. The first sulphur is applied in winter. The wines are not racked and they stay on the lees for ten months. Filtration is used only if absolutely needed. The wine is held for seven months prior to release.
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