PINOT NOIR | SANGIOVESE | NEBBIOLO | BARBERA | MOURVÈDRE
CHARDONNAY | SAUVIGNON BLANC | RHINE RIESLING

Over half of the farm’s vines are Pinot noir, with the rest devoted to white grape varieties and small plantings of less common European vines. The selective planting of vines continues, in balance with the needs of conservation and biodiversity.

PINOT NOIR
Synonyms: (Pineau de Bourgoyne, Noirien, Blauer Burgunder)

Description: Downy white shoot tips. Medium large leaves which are cobwebby underneath having convex, short, blunt teeth. The small and round berries have thick, tough skins.

Cultivation Characteristics: The ripening conditions are very important for Pinot noir. More fruitiness and softer tannins are ensured by slow ripening and cool conditions are therefore preferable. It has relatively good resistance to diseases but is sensitive to downy mildew. It ripens from the end of January to the first half of February.

Wine Characteristics: Internationally known for the champagne and red Burgundy. Good wines are only produced in cool regions. Wines are recognised by the pronounced strawberry character and soft tannins.

Some of our Pinot noir is also used in the Hannibal, which is our Franco-Italian red wine blend.


SANGIOVESE

Sangiovese, which is believed to have been cultivated since Etruscan times in the area around Florence, is found throughout Italy and is responsible for some of the country’s finest and most memorable wines. One popular theory suggests that Sangiovese’s name may have come from a corruption of the phrase sanguis Jovis (the blood of Jove).

Ruby-red, tending to garnet with age. Its perfumes should be rich and full. Some tasters find hints of leather, tobacco, truffles, figs, mulberries, raspberries, vanilla and cinnamon on the nose. Young Sangiovese has a ripe cherry fruit flavour, with a cherry stone bitterness on the finish.

We use the Sangiovese as a major component in the Hannibal, which is our Franco-Italian red blend.


NEBBIOLO
Synonym: (Nebieul)

Nebbiolo is the premium grape variety in Italy’s Piedmont region and is the primary component in the area’s top blends. It is believed to have originated in the hilly zones around the town of Alba, southeast of Turin, and it continues to have an affinity for hillside or even mountainous sites.

It is thought to derive its name from the Piedmontese word ‘nebia’ which means fog - perhaps a reference to the thick, milky bloom that forms over the ripening fruit.

Medium-deep ruby red with garnet to orange overtones. When Nebbiolo is aged in small, new oak barrels the colour will be darker. There should be an exhilarating rush of freshness on the nose, followed immediately by warming broader elements, which can include cherries, plums, strawberries and raspberries. There are also darker tones of chocolate, hazelnut, liquorice, cinnamon and vanilla.

This cultivar is only used in the Hannibal blend, and no cultivar wine is being made from it.


BARBERA

Barbera is found throughout its native Piedmont in northwestern Italy. It is normally vinified as a single-variety wine, while in other regions it is more often part of a blend. It is a vigourous variety that thrives on sand- or clay-based soils. However, many producers feel that it gives its most elegant results on limestone-rich soils in relatively cool sites. The vine originated in the Monferrato hills of Piedmont, and it remains the most widely planted variety in the region.

Barbera-based wines are usually intense ruby-red in colour, with purplish highlights when young. Their nose is fresh, with soft scents of ripe plum, sensations that are carried through onto the palate.

This cultivar is only used in the Hannibal blend, and no cultivar wine is being made from it.


MOURVEDRE
Synonyms: (Mataro, Monastrell)

Mourvèdre originates from Spain, where it is widely planted. It produces dark red wines high in tannins. In Australia it is often blended with Shiraz. It is a relatively warm-climate variety and is also fairly common in France’s wine-growing Provence region.

Its taste varies greatly according to the area in which the vines are grown, but often has a wild, gamey or earthy character, with soft fruit flavours of blackberry.

This cultivar is only used in the Hannibal blend, and no cultivar wine is being made from it.


CHARDONNAY
Synonym: (Pinot blanc Chardonnay)

The Chardonnay grape variety is a classic white wine grape grown all around the world. It is at the top, as probably the world's favourite white grape variety. The Chardonnay grape grows everywhere. The exact origin of Chardonnay is hard to trace, but its reputation was established in the Burgundy region of France. Winemakers love Chardonnay because the vines are easy to grow, and have a high yield. Chardonnay is one of the few grapes in the world that does not require blending. However, it is also blended with Pinot noir and Pinot Meunier to produce Champagne.

It is widely known for producing excellent full-bodied wines. The cooler zoned climate Chardonnay grapes produce an abundance of fruit flavours. You can pick up apple, pineapple, or the hint of peach. The warmer climate Chardonnays may have less of the fruits but develop wonderful honey, vanilla, and roasted flavours that really fill the mouth.

Chardonnay is ready to serve when it is sold. Many of the top Chardonnays from California, France, and Australia will continue to improve for up to five years from the time it is bottled.

The beauty of Chardonnay is that its high acids and full-bodied nature provide it great food matching versatility. It will go very well with most anything you serve. It is wonderful with fish, especially salmon.

Description: The shoot tips are cobwebby with a white to yellow green colour. The leaves are medium large with blunt teeth. The bunches are small, cylindro-conical with a short, thin peduncle. The light green to yellow berries are small and round with a thin, tough skin.

Cultivation Characteristics: It does well in high potential soils in cool climatic regions. It buds early and is sensitive to frost. It has a medium sensitivity to odium, downy mildew and Botrytis rot. It ripens beginning of February.

Wine Characteristics: it produces excellent, smooth wines with a citrus-like flavour in many wine countries, especially when barrel fermentation and maturation are applied. Traditionally it is associated with Champagne and white Burgundy wines.


SAUVIGNON BLANC

Examine a bunch of Sauvignon blanc grapes. One of the first things you’ll notice is that it is not highly coloured. These grapes have a relatively low level of pigment, which is why any wines made from them tend to be pale and straw-coloured, rather than yellow-gold like many Chardonnays.

If you want Sauvignon blanc that’s aromatic and crisp, with plenty of that vibrant character, then it should definitely be grown in a cool region. It prefers a long, bright, cool ripening season. This is why Sauvignon blanc is at its best in the cool, breezy, sunny vineyards of Bouchard Finlayson, in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley. The long growing and ripening season here, plus a dip in temperature at night, mean that the fruity ripeness is coaxed out of the vine, while high acidity is retained for that essential zesty freshness.

Sauvignon blanc has been grown in France for as long as anyone can remember. The Bordeaux and Loire Valley regions are its strongholds. Bordeaux is famous for its red grape Cabernet Sauvignon, while the Loire’s best red is Cabernet franc; these facts are relevant, because recent DNA tests have proven that both grapes are related to Sauvignon blanc.

Long ago, it appears that Sauvignon blanc was crossed with Cabernet franc to produce Cabernet Sauvignon. Many winemakers will agree that there is a hint of greenness – a note of leafiness, grassy, capsicum characteristics – in certain wines made from any or these three grape varieties.
We also use the Sauvignon blanc in our Blanc de Mer white wine blend.


WEISSER RIESLING
Synonyms: (Rhein-Riesling, Rhine Riesling, White Riesling and Reno)

Although this varietal is not used on its own in a cultivar wine, it plays a major role in the production of our Blanc de Mer.

Description: The very felty tips are yellowish to reddish in colour. The medium large leaves are round, cobwebby and have blunt teeth. Petioles are red. The small, cylindrical, very compact bunches, have a very short and tough peduncle. Medium small, round green-yellow berries have medium thick tough skins.

Cultivation Characteristics: It is well adapted to different soil types but flourishes on medium potential soils in cool regions. It is not very sensitive to odium and downy mildew but very sensitive to Botrytis rot, due to the compact bunches. It ripens end of February to beginning of March.

Wine Characteristics: Although very good wines are produced in different countries, the German Rieslings are rated the best in the world. Wines can range from dry to noble late harvest and are very fragrant, but the dry wines can be very high in total acid content. Some wines in South Africa exhibit a kerosene-like flavour, which can be very unpopular.