Wine Composition
40% Chenin Blanc, 28% Viognier, 19% Grenache Blanc, 3% Roussanne
Winemakers Comments
Each component used in the blend adds an individual touch to the final wine, without any grape dominating. With subtle oak flavors, intense fruit and a lingering palate, this wine is a super partner to local South African food, especially seafood but also Asian inspired dishes.
Awards
Tim Atkin | 93 points
Technical Analysis
Alcohol Percentage
13.51%
TA
6.2 g/l
pH
3.36
RS
2.1 g/l
Cellar Techniques
All of the grape varieties are treated and fermented in different ways, kept separately to showcase the expression of each cultivar in our unique terroir. We select each component based on merit and our final blend tells the story of our labour of love each vintage.
The Chenin Blanc component is made in three distinct styles showing off the versatility of the grape: The first component is cold fermented in stainless steel tank and allowed to age on the fermentation lees for 10 months. The second component is a selection of barrel fermented Chenin Blanc, fermented in older 500L French oak barrels and the third component is an alternative skin-contact component (hand-picked, sorted and allowed to wild ferment on the skins for 5 days before pressing and further fermentation in older French oak).
The Viognier grapes were hand-picked and whole-bunch pressed. 50% was wild fermented in 2nd and 3rd fill French barrels, without settling the juice prior to fermentation. The other half was settled, inoculated and cold fermented in stainless steel tank. The Roussanne was fermented in stainless steel tank initially but transferred to older French oak barrels mid fermentation to add more complexity. The Grenache Blanc was cold fermented in stainless steel tank and left on the fine lees for 11 months prior to blending. After 10 months maturation in French oak barrels and tank, the wine was carefully blended and allowed to naturally stabilise as far possible. Fresh lees of the 2021 vintage was added before minimal fining, filtration and bottling.
Winemaker
Name: Anthony de Jager
Winery
The Fairview winery at the foothills of the Paarl Mountains was one of the very first wineries to be founded at the Cape in 1693. Just six years later, the first wine was produced. After a turbulent history, Charles Back, grand-father of today's owner with the same name, purchased the farm in 1937 and gave it a new lease of life. Since that time, the estate has been run by the third generation of the Back family - quite successfully. True to the motto 'Go where the terroir is', Charles Back revised the concept of Fairview in the 1980s and experimented with lesser-known grape varieties. This does not only allow a larger variety of wines and optimal conditions for the ripening time of the grapes, but also innovative wine creations which are closely linked with tradition.
The combination of innovation and tradition also mirrored in the unusual crest of the winery. The goat has become the estate's mascot long ago and has become part of Fairview's identity. A legend goes that some errant members of Fairview's long-established goatherd once escaped from their paddock into the Fairview vineyards after Charles Back's young son Jason accidentally left the gate open. The little group happily roamed among the vineyards, showing rare discernment by selecting some of the ripest berries from the vines. Those berries have been used to make this white blend, a light, bright green, medium-bodied wine with aromas of apricots and pear and zesty acidity.
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