The Dark Side Of The Vine 2020 Semillon

Nickname : The Centurion

In stock

This vine was born in 1905. It has seen it all, the Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

Through droughts, floods and conflict it has stuck to its task of producing great grapes to make great wine. Years of production have taught it when to up production and when to hold back.

We think Semillion is a red grape dressed up in white wine clothing, it even produces a handful of red grapes on each vine, and should be treated as such. This is not a wine for quaffing and wasting on your closest 100 friends. No this is for small groups of like minded people with an unbridled passion for wine.

Best paired with The Good, The Bad and The Ugly by Ennio Morricone

TECHNICAL STUFF

Wine:                           The Dark Side of The Vine Semillon 2020

Wine of Origin:             100% Franschhoek

Bottling date:                17 July 2023

Production:                   760 x 750ml

Technical Analysis:

Alcohol             Extract              Ph        TA        VA        FSO2    TSO2    RS

13.51%vol.        22.4g/l             3.28     6.70g/l 0.60g/l 33mg/l 94mg/  1.30g/l

Source of Grapes:

This is our 5^th bottling of the Dark Side of the Vine Semillon made from the historic Landau du Val vineyard which was planted back in 1905. Due the effects or the drought experienced from 2016-2019 we did not produce any wine from this vineyard during the 2018 vintage and have been patiently waiting for the vines to return to its natural balance. 2019 was a stellar vintage and it feels like they are breathing again.

Harvest dates:   February 2020

Winemaking:

All our fruit is handpicked and chilled in our cold room overnight. The following day the grapes were destemmed without crushing the berries and left to macerate on the skins for 24 hours before pressing. The pressed juice was allowed to settle, in tank, overnight and the clear juice  transferred to one  old French oak barrel for fermentation. The juice fermented naturally for 6 weeks at temperatures of 18-24°C. After fermentation we did batonnage once a week to add richness to the wine. SO2 was added just before spring and the wine spent 24 months in barrel before bottling.

Maturation:

The wine was matured for 24 months in one old 500L French oak barrels and bottled without fining or filtration, sedimentation may occur.

Tasting note:

The wine displays a wonderfully intense aromatic nose with sensational lemon and lime zest and perfume. It unfurls wave upon wave of lemon confit, fresh peach juice, dried herbs, crushed walnut, nutmeg, tangerine peel, wet stones and dry thatch nuances. The palate is beautifully full and fleshy, almost unctuous but framed with the most delicious piercing, mouth-watering acidity. Super concentrated and broad but profoundly sensual and textural, the wine finishes with pure white citrus, black currant leaf and yellow tropical fruit candy notes. Drink now or age for 8 to 10+ years.

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