The vanguard shows a delicate weave of Valencia orange, white peach, lemon blossom, and an earthy touch of terracotta clay. On the palate, this 2023 vintage shows the same remarkable concentration and texture that has become a hallmark of the wines from these world-famous old vines. The delightfully chewy mouthfeel – an addictive mix of chalk powder and citrus pith – frames the vivid fruit elements of satsuma, candied lemon rind and grapefruit.

Our Semillon vineyards lie 22 km due east of the Bottelary Chenin Blanc vineyard, on the edges of the Franschhoek Valley. These ancient bushvine vineyards are planted into alluvial soils (predominantly decomposed Table Mountain sandstone), with the oldest vineyard being planted in 1942. The second vineyard was planted in 1962 amongst the foothills of Franschhoek Mountain, with a more rocky subsoil. Roughly 15% of the vines have naturally morphed into the rare Semillon Gris mutation, which need to be carefully preserved by expert pruning.

ANALYSIS: ALC 13.5% | TA 5.5 g/l | RS 2.4 g/l | pH 3.32