De Grendel is a historic estate on the Tygerberg mountain and was purchased in 1891 by politician and businessman Sir David Pieter de Villiers Graaf. It wasn't until 1999 that the third generation planted vines there. Success didn't arrive until 2005, when renowned winemaker Charles Hopkins was hired to build a completely new cellar. For this Sauvignon Blanc, a special vineyard selection is made from premium vineyards in Lutzville and Darling, plus a small batch of Semillon from De Grendel Vineyards. Careful vineyard management ensures superior fruit concentration and more powerful flavors.
While the Lutzville and Darling batches were vinified separately for blending at a later stage, the hand-picked grapes were crushed and left in contact with the skins for approximately six hours before the juice was stored and settled for inoculation and fermentation in stainless steel tanks. Approximately 18 percent of the juice was fermented in a combination of new and second-fill French oak barrels, where it was aged for 100 days on the fine lees. The 9 percent Semillon component was also fermented in oak. Finally, the batches were blended for flavor, depth, and complexity before bottling.
This delicious white wine is a light straw yellow with a fresh green hue. The aroma is exotic, with lovely notes of pineapple, citrus, passion fruit, and peach. The palate is fresh, vibrant, and refined. Delicate notes of peach, passion fruit, and citrus, interspersed with floral notes. A wonderfully refreshing and long finish completes this wine. What a gem!
