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Wine Description
The Story
Our friends Hans and Mary Anne Evenhuis own this beautiful mountain farm on the Hemel & Aarde Ridge, Walker Bay. It is home to an exciting vineyard. The Cape is a Mediterranean wine region, with some cooler parts resembling Galicia in northern Spain. With this in mind, our dialogue with Hans led to the conclusion that something special needed to be planted on Hemelrand. Great Mediterranean white wines such as Mas de Dumass Gassac, Le Soula, and Domaine de La Grange des Peres served as inspiration.
Hans has planted a white blend of 40% Chardonnay, 30% Roussanne, 13% Verdelho, 12% Chenin blanc, 3% Viognier, and 2% Muscat Blanc a petit grains. It is situated at 360 meters above sea level, on gravelly clay, with Sandstone intrusions. This is a cold and windy, very marginal site.
Composition: The 2015 is predominantly Roussanne, followed by Chenin and Chardonnay. There is also a touch of Verdelho in this vintage. Unfortunately the Muscat was not yet bearing in 2015. From the 2016 vintage onward the Verdelho will play a bigger role, and we’ll have a pinch of Muscat too.
Notes: The nose is a bit of a show-off. Stone fruit and white flowers abound. There are also some hints of baking spice, roast nuts and ripe apple. The palate is powerful, with flavors reflecting the nose of the wine. High natural acidity cuts and carries the richness into a long flavourful finish. This wine will definitely stand up to a rich dish, perhaps something like chicken in tarragon cream.