I must confess I have wanted to re-taste this wine for quite some time. It's hard to accurately assess at walk-around tastings when you run into all your fellow wine geeks, and the noise grows as the night goes on and the pours get bigger. I am glad I have the chance to ruminated on this wine further.
Tonight I am tasting the 2017 Sijnn White (84% Chenin Blanc, 13% Viognier, and 3% Roussanne) (@sijnnwines). At first, I couldn't pinpoint what I was smelling... there was so much there. I usually taste wine for about two minutes before I can write my first tasting notes. I smelled something I had not smelled in a wine before, marigolds. Living in India for six years, this is a smell I know well. The more I swirled, I got orange pith, lemon meringue with a bit of gravel and wet chalk.
On the palette, there is high acid with a round mouthfeel. There is a subtle but lingering finish with hints of peach and a tinge of passionfruit. This is not a wine to smash but to contemplate with fellow wine lovers.
About the vineyard:
The complex stony soils, together with a warm, dry climate (350mm) moderated by constant sea breezes, provides an ideal terroir to produce something unique. All vines are grown as bush vines due to the exceptional low yield and vigor from the 12 and 7-year-old vines. Mostly 2 high quality, low yielding clones of Chenin Blanc on drought-resistant rootstocks – R99; Rug.140 and R110. Viognier and Roussanne included adding depth and complexity.
About the vintage:
2017 was an excellent growing season with no problems. We had ideal weather at the beginning of the ripening season with a little rain on a few occasions. The moderate weather with cool nights continued throughout the harvest period producing wines with excellent acidity. An average crop of high quality.
About the production:
Handpicked and sorted in the cool mornings before gentle crushing and 2 hrs cold soak before pressing in a traditional basket press. Barrel fermented in 400L and 700L French oak barrels, about 11% new for 10 months. Lightly fined with bentonite (natural clay) and bottled by hand unfiltered.
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