Technical Specifications
Alcohol 12.34%
Residual Sugar 1.6 g/L
pH 3.4
Total Acidity 6.05 g/L
Calories (estimated) 105 kcal / glass
150ml glass105 kcal
750ml bottle525 kcal
Grape Varieties Chenin Blanc, Blanc Fumé, Viognier
Chenin Blanc74%
Blanc Fumé15%
Viognier11%
Region Bot River
Harvest Dates February 1, 2019 (Bot River, Barton Chenin Blanc); February 11, 2019 (Bot River, Klein Botrivier Sauvignon Blanc); February 11, 2019 (Elgin, Elgin Ridge Sauvignon Blanc); February 22, 2019 (Overberg, Klipkraal Chenin Blanc); March 13, 2019 (Elgin, Elgin Orchards Viognier)
Brix at Harvest 21.2°
Sites Bot River, Barton Chenin Blanc; Bot River, Klein Botrivier Sauvignon Blanc; Elgin, Elgin Ridge Sauvignon Blanc; Overberg, Klipkraal Chenin Blanc; Elgin, Elgin Orchards Viognier
Fermentation Vessels Oak Barrel, Stainless Steel Tank
Botrytis Affected Yes
Maceration 8 days
Oak Aging 9 months
Lees Aging 9 months
Closure Crown Cap
Production Details This is the fifth addition of the very successful Saboteur White Blend. Unfortunately the drought conditions continue in the Bot River Valley so paying attention to our picking time is very important so that we don't lose the natural acidity and freshness which balances the fruit in this wine. The Chenin Blanc was naturally fermented in 2 batches. The first portion was on skins for 8 days before pressing and finishing the fermentation in barrel. Due to fruit quality, we did not give skin contact to the second batch and half the juice went to barrel directly from the press and the other half of the second batch was fermented in tank with cooling until dry. This resulted in 3 very different components which added more complexity to the final blend. We had quite a lot of botrytis in the Viognier so no skin contact this year so the juice was fermented in barrel directly from the press. The Blanc Fumé portion was fermented in barrel without settling to give more texture and complete fermentation. All the components spend 9 months in French Oak barrels of which the majority were old barrels. We left all the wine on gross lees with regular batonnage to flesh out the wine. We racked and made up the blend and the only time we added SO2 was to protect the wine for the bottling process. We blended the 3 components to make sure that the wine is in absolute balance and the result this year is a 74% Chenin Blanc, 15% Blanc Fumé and 11% Viognier. We feel that we still continue to achieve our goal which is to have a serious, well-structured yet refreshingly fruity white wine.
Tasting Notes
Nose: Spicy, pine nuts, white pear, lime
Palate: white pear, lime, peach, pear, salty, citrus
▸ Sources (1)
Producer Information
Website
Address
Van Der Stel Pass, Bot River, 7185, Western Cape, South Africa
Phone
+27 (0) 28 001 0516
Email
Owner
Niels and Penny Verburg
Cellarmaster
Niels Verburg & Alice Verburg