ah Semillon 2004
“Our youngest daughter, Lara, joined the family bringing her unique bag full of surprises and energy. This contrasted with a wonderfully “rustige” harvest. Nitida Pinotage won a Veritas double gold. Finally our Sauvignon was given 4 ½ stars in Platters. The 2003 Shiraz won the ABSA & JA Meyer Trophies trophies for Best Young Wine and Best Shiraz. We made our first Semillon for Woolworths Limited Release.”
Tasting Notes
The 2004 wine is a complex blend of voluptuous pear fruit, classic lanolin and creamy toffee, touched with lime zest and almonds on the palate. The nose is springtime honeysuckle with a hint of ruby grapefruit. Expect this wine to age beautifully. It has already developed a thick dark honey aspect with elements of full fig preserve all held together by good balance and firm acids. Drink with any of your favourite foods, but especially good with game fish, rich pork or even a caesar salad and soft smelly cheese.
Winemaker Comments
In this, our 4th semillon harvest, we followed a picking strategy similar to the sauvignon blanc, harvesting for optimal flavour and ripeness. All the grapes are off Nitida vineyards so the wine is made from only the exclusive GD1 clone, which bears beautiful fruit flavours and is set to re-invent this cultivar in SA. The 2004 is made reductively under controlled cool temperatures below 14 degrees C.....5% sauvignon blanc for crispness and acid to liven the palate. We have gone back to a single blend of 50:50 tank:wooded (50% new, 50% 2nd fill French 3 mths). Possibly even more of a classic than last year. Our reputation as a semillon producer lead to us making the limited release semillon for Woolworths for the first time this year. Already the wine is showing magnificent integration and rich full flavours.
