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.
