Lanzerac Sauvignon Blanc 2015 Tasting Notes

The Vintage: 2015 is potentially the best vintage of the last decade. A normal, cold winter with enough rain followed by a warm and extremely early harvest season. Grapes from 2015 was in perfect health. The wines from this vintage are complex and full of flavour.

Appellation: Jonkershoek Valley, Stellenbosch.

Viticulture: The Lanzerac Sauvignon Blanc 2015 was sourced from a single vineyard block. This block, D12, is situated 450 m above sea level and covers an area of 1.92 hectares and is 17 years old. The rows in these blocks are running north-south and soils are mainly deep red decomposed granite with clay. The yield for the 2015 vintage was 7.44 tons/hectare. All pruning and harvesting is done by hand to ensure that only healthy and fully ripe grapes reach the cellar.

Harvest Date: The early 2015 harvest resulted in grapes being picked on January 28th.

Vinification: To protect the grapes against heat, they were picked early in the morning. At the cellar, the grapes were hand sorted before it was crushed and cooled down through a mash cooler at 13-15°C. The crushed grapes were left on the skins for ±6 hours in the press. The skins were then lightly pressed. The juice was pumped under a dry ice blanket into the settling tank and left to settle for 48 hrs. The clean juice was racked off the lees, yeast was added and fermentation took place between 12°C and 14°C for about 10 days. During the whole crushing and pressing process, dry ice was used to form a CO2 blanket to protect the juice against oxidation.

Cellar Master's Comments: Treading a delicate and flavoursome line between oodles of tropical fruit such as guavas and granadillas, and crisp dashes of lemon and lime citrus, this wine is zesty and fresh with plenty of drinkability and appeal. Concentrated fruits are offset by interesting mineral notes of steel and wet stones. Underpinned by just the right amount of lively acidity and finishing with hints of cream and talcum powder perfume.

Cellaring Potential: Drink now or enjoy until 2019.

Food Suggestions: The lively acidity makes this Sauvignon Blanc a fabulous match for a classic goat’s cheese soufflé or the freshest of fresh sushi.