Wine Composition
100% Riesling
Winemakers Comments
The colour is pale, with a beautiful green apple tint. The nose shows ripe green apple, apple blossom, beeswax and fynbos honey notes. The palate is crisp and clean – lemon sorbet-like however has some more palate weight than one normally would expect. There is a great interplay between the naturally retained residual sugar and the acidity. Generally regarded as restrained, it displays typical Riesling ‘nervousness’. The mineral core, which is linked to the shale rich soils in which the vines grow, astounds. It is the reason for the wine structure and the lingering after taste. Perfect hot weather wine – very refreshing.
Technical Analysis
Alcohol Percentage
12.46%
TA
7.4 g/l
pH
3.14
RS
8.7 g/l
Vineyards/Vintage
The majority of the grapes for this vintage came from the 26 year old Riesling block with a small percentage from the younger blocks. The soil in the older block varies from a ‘ferricrete’ top layer (surficial sand and gravel masses) on decomposed Bokkeveld Shale and/or light clay. The younger blocks are also on duplex soils, but dominated by shale. The average gradient is 1:7 and height above sea level is 300 meters.
Cellar Techniques
In addition to vineyard sorting, a second stage of bunch and berry sorting occurs at the cellar to eliminate all traces of rot. Skin contact prior to fermentation is done to extract flavour and reduce acidity – duration varies, this year we left the grapes on the skins for 6 – 8 hrs. Pressing
is always gentle. Only free run juice is fermented. After settling, the juice is fermented using a selected yeast culture. Fermentation is stopped on some of the wine, generally the batches with the highest acidity. The wine with lower sugar levels is left on the lees this adds a creamy texture to the wine. The wine is then blended, stabilized and prepared for bottling.
Winemaker
Name - Andries Burger
Winery
This family-owned, family-run wine business is located in the cool-climate Elgin Valley, approximately 70km south-east of Cape Town. The property has been in ownership of the Cluver Family since 1896. Recognised as pioneers of wine in the area, the focus is on producing elegant wines that are expressive of the terroir.
The wine business forms part of larger holistic farming business called ‘De Rust Estate'. In addition to the vineyards and cellar, there are apple and pear orchards, a Hereford stud and eco-tourism activities, including amphitheatre concerts, on the farm. This 2000+ hectare estate forms part of the UNESCO world heritage site, the Kogelberg Biosphere. Half of the estate has been set aside for conservation into perpetuity.
