Stellenrust is one of the largest family-owned wine estates in South-Africa. They started their estate in 1928 and expended over the years. Nowadays, they have almost 400 hectares of land spread out over the 'Golden triangle' & Bottelary Hills. This sub-region is not only known because of its impressive landscape, but it is also the residence of the most famous wine producers of the country. The wine maker Tertius Boshoff highly values a fair-trade product. In 2005, they decided to give a little back to their 70 employees & gave them a permanent contract and empowered them on 100 hectares of their land, as main shareholders.
Information:
Variety
100% Chenin Blanc (Steen).
Area
Stellenbosch, South - Africa.
Alcohol Percentage
13.9% Vol.
Note from the Winemaker
The grapes for this wine are harvested from a 54 year old single vineyard of Chenin blanc on the slopes of the Bottelary Hills, hence the number on the front of the bottle is referring to the age of the vines in the year the wine was made. The harvest was done carefully & despite the fact the temperatures were warmer then normal, the hanging time was in line with other vintages. The botrytis development also took some time but did eventually occur after mid March drizzles.
Vinification & Maturing of the Wine
After the harvest, the grapes are carefully moved to the cellars. Here, the juice is drawn off into a special selection of barrels and allowed to ferment naturally. The fermentation took just under 8 months to finish & the wine was kept on the fermentation lees for an additional 1 month. The wine aged for about 9 months in oak: 90% French and 10% Hungarian oak.
Tasting Notes
This vintage is another masterpiece from Stellenrust. In the nose, some hints of honeyed pear, citrus & peach. On the palate, the wine is concentrated & rich. Some hints of citrus, peach & stone fruit with a medium full frame. The wine is balanced with a beam of acidity & a long impressive finish.
Recommendations
We recommend to serve this wine at a temperature between 8 & 10 degrees Celsius. A perfect serve with flavourful risottos, seafood or duck (orange infused).
