| WINE | Radford Dale | ||||||||
| VARIETAL | Viognier | ||||||||
| VINTAGE | 2010 | ||||||||
| APPELLATION | Stellenbosch (Helderberg), South Africa | ||||||||
| ANALYSIS |
|
||||||||
| PRODUCTION | 375 (12 x 750ml.) cases |
VINEYARDS & HARVEST
This is a single-vineyard Viognier from the property where we are located on the Helderberg Mountain in Stellenbosch, overlooking the Ocean in a South / South-Westerly direction. The vineyard was planted in 1999 and is without a doubt one of the finest blocks on this property. The sub-soils are of decomposed granite, with a stony surface and an ideal orientation. Yields are typically 38 hl / ha. The 2010 was an unusual vintage in that we experienced uneven flowering in the Spring and reduced crop levels as a consequence, down about a quarter to 30hl / ha. However, 2010 was a summer of hot days and yet often with cool nights, resulting in an extended ripening season. This gave rise to a lovely balance in the natural composition of the grapes, allowing for better complexity and subtlety in the flavours and structure of the wine; all of which has resulted in an amazing concentration of flavours in this vintage.
VINIFICATION
The grapes were all hand-picked from dawn into small lug-bins, passed over our sorting table and then destemmed. Cold-soaked for a few days on the skins, the grapes were then pressed and the free-run juice was run-off, into barrel. Using natural yeast fermentation, we enjoyed the resulting greater palate of flavours which developed as the wine fermented dry and was matured on its lees in barrel for almost a year. The flabby, oaky, alcoholic Viognier styles one often encounters in SA are not what we would recognise as terroir-driven styles and as such will never be found in our cellar. The (gentle) pressings were kept separate, of which a proportion was included in the final blend, helping to ensure that the minerality of the site retained a keen presence in the ultimate wine. Malolactic fermentation was inhibited (by cold) and the wine was lees-stirred monthly during its 11-month barrel maturation, before final blending.
BARRELS
All 15 barrels-worth of this wine were barrel-fermented and matured. Of that, 100% Burgundian-coopered French oak : Allier & Vosges 228 L barrels. The majority 2nd fill , then new, 3rd & 4th fill. A tiny proportion of new oak (from memory, just 1 barrel).
WINEMAKER'S COMMENTS
Distinctly Viognier on the nose, with striking apricot, white petals and peaches, the palate is at the same time weighty in flavour while very mineral and fresh in length. Some flinty, leesy characteristics mingle seamlessly with the overt dried-fruit aromas and lush texture, producing a wine with surprising length, fruit weight, freshness and complex aromatic diversity. Drier, more mineral and nuanced than usual from the Cape, less alcoholic and with definite hints of old-world-style Viognier. A wine for Condrieu fans looking for a change rather than for flabby-wine-loving-trophy-hounds !