Ernie Els Wines

Sauvignon Blanc

Technical Analysis

Winemaker Louis Strydom
Main Variety Sauvignon Blanc
Alcohol 13.00 %vol
pH 3.49
RS 2.82 g/l
Total Acid 5.9 g/l
Appellation Western Cape

Characteristics

Type White
Style Dry

TASTING NOTES
The 2016 Ernie Els Sauvignon Blanc explodes on the nose with guava, lime, kiwi fruit and gooseberries. A rather concentrated vintage with a tangy acidity, there is good contrast of tropical fruit and a pebbly texture. Hints of green pepper and figs offer complexity to fruit pastels on a long, soft finish. An exotic wine that already shows its rainbow of bright colours.

THE 2016 VINTAGE
Challenging conditions led to a reduced wine grape crop for South African producers in 2016, but grapes were healthy and concentrated flavours promise good wines. The weather was very warm, especially from the end of October towards the end of January, which restricted the growth and constituted lower bunch masses and smaller berries. However, the dry conditions led to the vineyards and grapes being very healthy overall. Smaller berries led to more concentrated colour and flavour on the positive side and good wines are expected from the 2016 harvest. Good reserves were accumulated during the post-harvest period (April and May), after which leaf fall occurred mostly at the right time. The winter started off late in most of the regions but the weather conditions were cold enough to break dormancy. Spring came on time and the weather conditions were ideal which led to good, even bud burst. The harvest period started a week early due to the warmer weather and it ended about two weeks earlier. The white wines from the 2016 vintage appear astoundingly good, with great structure and good flavours.

ABOUT THE VINEYARD
The Sauvignon Blanc grapes were harvested from individually selected, low yielding vines from two appellations namely Darling and Stellenbosch. Each viticultural area and terroir lends its own unique flavour profile to the final blend.

WINEMAKING
The grapes were hand-picked in the cool of early morning. On the sorting table, all excess stalks and inferior berries were carefully removed. Grape bunches were gently de-stemmed with a de-stalker and lightly crushed. The wine was settled overnight and the sediment racked-off the following day. Fermentation took place at low temperatures (12-14°C) in stainless steel tanks with a combination of yeasts, over a two week period. Working very reductively in the cellar after both crushing and de-stemming, post fermentation lees contact was maintained for two months with weekly stirring of the lees before racking and stabilization prior to bottling. This wine is crafted in a fresh style without any oak component.

About The Harvest
February 2016. 23.0° Brix average sugar at harvest.

Blend Information
100% Sauvignon Blanc.

Ageing Potential
This is amazingly open and entertaining while young and shows terrific vintage.

Production
7000 x 6 x 750ml cases

Sustainability
I.P.W. (Intergrated Production of Wine) Certified

 

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