GRAPHE 2005

Driving down Main Road Paarl, I was looking for a nice coffee shop. I was busy labeling my new wines and was looking for a lunch spot. I ended up at a coffee shop, restaurant, florist and bar called KIKKA. As I entered, I saw the owner of a nearby, very exclusive winery. I quickly prayed that if this is where God wants me to blend my new wines, I would appreciate an opportunity to introduce myself. Halfway through my lunch, I suddenly found the winemaker standing next to me waiting for his guests. I grabbed the opportunity and introduced myself. He popped a business card in my hand and the rest is history: Another 2 fantastic wines!!!! A couple of friends have been bugging me to release a Northern Rhone style red blend. These French wines are Shiraz based, but they normally blend Viognier with it, interestingly enough a WHITE variety!! They make sure they use only a limited amount - enough to add a spicy dimension to the wine, but not too much too influence the colour. My GRAPHÉ blend is predominantly Shiraz with 2% Viognier. Different to the Hemel and Aarde wines, this wine shows its origin with intense fruit and complexity. The wine is from grapes grown on the lower slopes of the Paarl mountains, bordering Stellenbosch. The winemaker only used grapes grown in rocky, granitic soils and used minimalist winemaking methods in order to create a wine that is as site-expressive as possible. Low yields and wild yeast fermentation, gentle handling & minimal new wood all play a part in producing a wine that combines minerality, freshness and a touch of smoky perfume. Analysis: Alcohol: 15.12% pH 3.83 Acid 5.63 g/l Residual Sugar 2.68 g/l Ageing potential Optimum – 5 years.