Olifantsberg Grenache blanc 2021

The site and grape variety were meant to be. There is a magical presence in these vineyards that is felt every year we harvest the grapes. The amber juice with its effortless complexity captures the imagination of something great to come!

The complexity of this wine lies in the collection of 6 different pickings within the single vineyard. This allows us to retain natural acidity early on and build fruit complexity along the way. The grapes are whole-bunch pressed for gentle extraction. Juice is settled overnight in stainless steel tanks. During racking enough fine lees are added to the clear juice to ensure good texture in the finished wine. Natural fermentation further enhances the complexity. The early pick ferments in foudre. A combination of 300- and 500-litre barrels are used for the subsequent pickings. The final pick will ferment in concrete. A small percentage of whole-bunch ferment and partial skin ferment is added to the final wine. Maturation takes place for 10 months on the gross lees with no battonage. Malolactic fermentation is not encouraged. Each batch is carefully selected and blended to complement the final product and aged for a further 2 months in foudre and 500-litre barrels.