Description
Five centuries ago the ancient mariners braved uncharted seas to round the Cape of Good Hope in search of exotic spices. Their nerve and dash inspire the Spice Route philosophy. We have found our signature wine style in the rolling hills along the Cape’s West Coast, where unirrigated vines produce grapes with small thick skinned berries – ripe fruit that is dense, rich and full flavoured. A passionate dedication to exceptional quality and traditional hand crafting captures the essence of this fruit in the wines of the Spice Route.
IN THE VINEYARD:
Spice Route Sauvignon Blanc is grown on the cool, rolling hills outside Darling, located along the Cape West Coast. Just 4km from the ocean, the trellised Atlantic vineyards are rooted in red oakleaf soil and are amongst the finest Sauvignon Blanc vineyards in South Africa. Dryland farming and careful selected blocks result in a Sauvignon Blanc with exceptional depth, flavour and character.
HARVEST DATE
Early to Mid – February 2018
WINEMAKING:
Grapes from trellised vineyards were picked at 23.5° balling. Harvesting was done partly by hand and partly by machine harvester, with yields varying from 4 to 5 tons per hectare. The machine harvester was used during the night, ensuring the grapes arrived at the cellar cool. The bunches were then destalked and crushed under reductive conditions, into static drainers. The skins were pressed at 0.9 bar of pressure and the juice was cold settled for 24 hours, prior to fermentation. Cold fermentation took place in stainless steel tanks at 10.5 – 12 degree Celsius (°C). No malolactic fermentation was allowed.
WINEMAKER’S COMMENTS:
“The 2018 vintage was characterised by cool growing conditions, which resulted in good flavour profile and higher levels of natural acidity in grapes. The overall quality of the wine is very consistent and wonderfully expressive of the variety. This is one of the greatest vintage in the last decade for our white wines”. – Charl du Plessis
TASTING NOTE:
Good expression of cool climate fruit and the typical minerality that Darling can offer. Intense lingering mouthfeel reminiscent of the cool climate granite soils of this dryland farmed vineyard.
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