Grenache Noir, 2017

A fresh and vibrant Grenache with pine and herbal aromas and bright red cherry, cranberry and pomegranate flavours. A lean and elegant wine with a moreish, saline finish.

Meet the maker: Momento

Region: Swartland, Coastal Region – South Africa

Grape(s): Grenache (100%)

14% ABV / 750ml

Viticulture:

This wine was made from low yielding bush-vines, planted in the Swartland and grown in decomposed granite soil which gives it an elegant and pure character.

Winemaking:

Gentle and minimum intervention with a ‘hands-off’ approach to show the delicate and elegant side of this grape.

After hand picking in the early morning, bunches were destemmed into small fermenting tanks with 30% whole clusters. Four days of cold soaking on skins for colour and flavour to develop before a natural fermentation started.

Punch downs were done by hand, twice a day, resulting in gentle extraction, preserving the grape’s natural character.

After a slow and steady fermentation, an additional post-fermentation maceration of 10 days was allowed to extract the finer, softer tannins.

After a total of four weeks on the skins, the grapes were gently pressed with an old basket press into French oak barrels for malolactic fermentation and maturation. Total time in barrel was 16 months. No fining.