In The Vineyard
The grapes are harvested from dry land farmed vineyards in Darling, where the vines are not trellised and planted as bush vines on deep red oakleaf soils. These grapes ripen as nature intended without human intervention. Vineyards are monitored for optimal picking times,adopting a combination of sampling and tasting to optimize the richer tropical (thiol)notes. The Viognier vines are situated high up in the south-western facing hills looking towards Table Mountain, Chenin Blanc harvested from 38 years old bush vines and the Chardonnay from 24-year-oldvines. All three vineyards produce very low yields of 2-3 tons per hectare.

In The Cellar
Crush and destalk, 12 hours skin contact. Cultivars are barrel fermented separately in 500 litre French oak barrels. Racked to barrels and left for 9 months on fine lees. Aged for 2-3 months on fermentation lees to add complexity.

Additional Information
THE STORY BEHIND THE LABEL
Lime Kilns were a familiar sight on the West Coast in years past. These kilns were used to burn mussel shells producing lime which was then used for varied applications. The agricultural use of lime is well known for the treatment of acidic soils making them more pH neutral, essential for the planting of various crops, such as wheat and vines. With this beautifully blended wine, we return to the roots of our farming history and take note of the part that nature plays in crafting this fine wine.

Technical Analysis
Winemaker – Pieter Niel Rossouw & Maggie Venter
Main Variety – Chenin Blanc
Alcohol – 14.08 %vol
pH – 3.32
RS – 2.24 g/l
Total Acid – 6.03 g/l
Appellation – Darling