Wine Composition
100% Chenin Blanc
Winemakers Comments
Attractive bright gold colour. Great intensity and
sweetness – one of our richest vintages. Dried apricot and lemon
skin, some flintiness, but mostly complex honey and treacle. The
palate is intensely sweet, fresh and lively with an oxidative
complexity and a long finish. This vintage is best as a sweet treat
on its own after a meal. A rewarding challenge to match with
desserts!
Previous Awards
93 Points - Wine Spectator
91 Points - Stephen Tanzer
4.5* - Platter's Wine Guide
Technical Analysis
Alcohol Percentage
11.05%
Total Acidity
6.7 g/l
pH
3.93
Residual Sugar
272 g/l
Vineyards/Vintage
Winter 2011 was colder than usual, but with average
rainfall resulting in excellent, even bud-break. We had good growth
in spring, but poor weather (cold and rain) over the flowering
period resulting in uneven flowering and berry set. We paid extra
attention to green harvesting to help make up for this. Disease
pressure was managed with well-timed sprays and open, small
canopies. January was exceptionally hot, which really jolted the
vines into ripeness. The ripening period of February and March was
much cooler and close to perfect with little rain and no rot and we
managed to get all the grapes onto the racks in the cool mornings
at optimum ripeness – @ 21°B to 23°B
Harvest Dates: 3/2/11 – 23/2/11.
Cellar Techniques
The grapes were picked at optimum ripeness and laid out on
drying racks in 70% shade for 3 weeks. This allows the grapes to
concentrate sugars, acids and flavours, before reharvesting in the
cool mornings. Fermented with natural yeasts and matured for 21
months using mostly new 225 l oak barrels – 60% French and 40%
America. Racked while in barrel to remove heavy sediment and
lightly bentonite fined. The VA had to be reduced by about
20%.
Winemaker
Name - David Trafford
Winery
De Trafford Winery is situated on the beautiful Mont Fleur
farm set at the top of a dramatic valley above Stellenbosch, 380m
up between the Stellenbosch and Helderberg mountains, right at the
end of the Blaauwklip road, between Stellenbosch and Somerset
West.
The history of wine growing on this mountain farm started
with the purchase of the property in 1976 by the Trafford family as
inaccessible grazing land. Many of the high altitude slopes were
deemed suitable for high quality red grape varieties.
Unfortunately, due to the absurd quota restrictions, planting a
commercial vineyard had to wait 18 years. In 1983 a small vineyard
was established to produce experimental wines – consumed by family
and friends! These were our learning curve years ( 1984 – 1991 ),
which included lots of help and advice from local winemakers and
working experience in France, particularly in the Bordeaux
area.
