Kleine Zalze Family Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2019

Vivino : 4.2

Shortlisted for Vivino's 2020 Wine Style Awards: South African Sauvignon Blanc

Wines of Origin: Western Cape

Viticulture: Grapes are selected from vineyards in Durbanville and Darling.

2019 is one of the best Sauvignon Blanc years in history.

The weather is mild and the evenings cool, perfect for Sauvignon Blanc.

Pick some leaves in the bunch area in early December to ensure the bunch gets enough sunlight and create a healthy microclimate around our bunch.

How retro!

Vinification: Grapes are hand picked early in the morning and in some cases even at night.

From dry ice in the vineyard to fermentation vessels, we handle Sauvignon Blanc very reductively.

The grapes were crushed with a carbon dioxide blanket as soon as they arrived (before 10am) and left in contact with the skin for at least 12 hours.

This is to extract all the beautiful flavors hidden in the skin. The juice is squeezed from the rind by gravity and left to stand for 24 hours.

The clean juice is poured into the fermentation vessel, where we inoculate the selected yeast strain and ferment very slowly at 13 degrees Celsius.

This wine spent 7 months on primary lees before bottling, with only a very rough filtration.

Winemaker's Note: Lively herbal aroma with well-structured fruit.

On the palate it is full-bodied, with tropical and green elements.

A serious wine with long-term prospects.

It will be even better after 5 years of cellaring.